Proceeds from the 2025 Ball will support the expansion of Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU’s neonatal intensive care unit.

More than 50 years ago, the area’s first neonatal intensive care unit was established at what is now CHoR. By 1986, our neonatal intensive care unit was one of the largest on the East Coast. Today, it is designated as a Level 4 NICU–the highest level of neonatal care available for critically ill and premature newborns–and one of the few with specialized teams and equipment providing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation care. ECMO is used to temporarily replace the function of the heart and lungs for critically ill infants and children. ​

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Located in the critical care hospital in order to be close to the labor and delivery unit, our current NICU offers 32 private rooms and four double-patient rooms for multiples. More than 500 premature and critically ill newborns are cared for each year during stays ranging from a few days to several months. Last year, the NICU was at full capacity for more than 300 days, highlighting the increasing demand for our services. 

Construction is now underway to expand the NICU with an additional 20 beds, as well as amenities and support space for families and team members. The new unit will occupy an existing shell space on Level 4 of the Children’s Tower, one of several areas that was planned into the facility during construction to support ongoing growth and development of programs. In keeping with the theme of each level in the Children’s Tower having an animal mascot, the mascot for the new NICU will be the hummingbird.