Independence, WVU health systems partner for newborn ICU at Westmoreland hospital

Westmoreland Hospital’s unit for newborn babies in need of intensive care now is under the management of West Virginia University Medicine’s Children’s Hospital.

It’s a switch from the Greensburg hospital’s previous relationship with UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Announced Tuesday, the partnership began Jan. 1 and has overseen at least one case so far.

According to Brian Fritz, president of Independence Health’s Westmoreland, Latrobe and Frick hospitals, Westmoreland Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit is staffed by six nurse practitioners employed by Independence Health. That isn’t expected to change.

The unit now is under the oversight of WVU Medicine physicians, both in person and through telemedicine.

The newly affiliated program’s medical director is Dr. Mark Polak, a West Virginia University professor of pediatrics and WVU Medicine Children’s attending neonatologist with more than 35 years of experience. He is expected to be working remotely when not on hand at the Greensburg hospital.

Fritz said the decision to partner with WVU Medicine Children’s was driven by “our shared vision to continue to enhance neonatal care for Westmoreland County’s most vulnerable patients.”

He cited the WVU facility’s expertise in neonatal medicine, access to clinical trials and strong focus on staff education.

“Our highly specialized neonatologists work closely with obstetricians, respiratory therapists, community pediatricians and nurses to provide the best possible health care,” Polak said in a joint statement Tuesday by Independence Health and WVU Medicine. “Our goal is to help all new families understand their baby’s medical needs so they can feel empowered, confident and comfortable with their care.”

Amy L. Bush, chief administrative officer for WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital, said the new partnership developed after Independence Health reached out to the WVU health system this past fall.

“We have a shared commitment to improving the health of these little babies as close as possible to their homes,” Bush said.

She said WVU Medicine plans to provide Neonatal Intensive Care Unit supervision to the Greensburg unit from its existing staff of about 10 neonatologists and at least 20 nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

She said it will continue to offer a similar service to other affiliated medical facilities while caring for newborns at its own 50-bed NICU.

Representatives from Independence Health and UPMC didn’t immediately reply with an explanation of how their NICU partnership came to an end.

“We are grateful for the care and expertise they provided,” Fritz said of UPMC. “Their team and ours helped lay a strong foundation for delivering exceptional neonatal care to our community.”

Level II care

The Westmoreland NICU is expected to continue operating as a Level II program — compared with Level IV, which involves the most intensive care.

“We care for moderately ill babies at at least 32 weeks of gestation,” Fritz said.

He said that can encompass at-term and pre-term babies with instability of temperature or blood glucose, as well as babies of mothers with substance use disorder who need support after birth.

In 2024, the Westmoreland NICU treated 79 babies delivered at the hospital and six other newborns admitted from elsewhere. The average length of stay was 5.3 days.

Independence Health System touted the partnership with WVU Medicine as a milestone in the effort to improve specialized health care services in Western Pennsylvania.

In addition to managing the Level II NICU for newborns at Greensburg, Bush said, “If they need Level III or Level IV care, we are able to provide that additional care here and then get them back to their home communities once they meet (health) milestones.”

The NICU at WVU Medicine Children’s is a Level IV unit, Bush said. Features at that level include offering a pediatric heart program and having neonatologists in-house 24/7.

The move marks the latest in Pennsylvania for WVU Health System, which merged with Uniontown Hospital in 2020, spurring $15 million in renovations and improvements at the Fayette County facility.

Since then, WVU’s presence has continued to grow, with more practices and widespread television advertising urging patients to use its new pediatric hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., about 25 miles from Uniontown.

Allegheny Health Network facilities in the region offer various levels of NICU care.

AHN Forbes, Jefferson and Wexford hospitals have Level II NICUs for infants with medical needs who are not critically ill or for infants who may require additional observation after birth.

AHN West Penn in Bloomfield and AHN Saint Vincent in Erie have Level III NICUs, with neonatologists providing around-the-clock care for high-risk deliveries and critically ill full-term and premature newborns, according to spokesperson Nikki Buccina.

In January 2019, AHN West Penn unveiled a new and expanded $23 million NICU, able to accommodate 63 babies and their families, she said.

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