Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) | Tampa General Hospital

Families can take comfort in knowing that our Jennifer Leigh Muma Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) – a special nursery for babies who are born too early, are sick, or who may need surgery, and women with high-risk pregnancies – has a strong commitment to providing the highest quality of care. Tampa General is one of just 12 regional perinatal intensive care centers designated by the State of Florida. Neonatologists from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and nurses trained in neonatal critical care staff our NICU 24 hours a day.

In emergency situations, our neonatal transport team travels aboard TGH’s medical helicopters* or via ambulance to provide care during transport. This team includes a registered nurse and a respiratory therapist, specially trained to stabilize and transfer sick newborns to TGH from other hospitals in the region.

Our neonatal services also include the neonatal neuro-protection program, which provides therapeutic hypothermia treatment to term or near-term infants with neonatal encephalopathy. The neonatal neuro-protection program is a multidisciplinary service composed of a skilled neonatal transport team, medical specialists in neonatology and neurology, specially trained nurses, and respiratory therapists. Multicenter clinical trials have shown that early initiation of moderate hypothermia results in a decreased incidence of death and severe neuro-developmental disability in neonates with moderate to severe encephalopathy.

TGH Recognized for World-Class Care

Tampa General Hospital offers a full range of women’s health services to meet your obstetric and gynecologic needs. In recognition of the level of care we provide, we've been named by one of the top 10 hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report for OBGYN for 2023-24 and Newsweek as one of the World's Best Hospitals for 2023. TGH, which is one of only six hospitals in Florida named on Newsweek’s list, earned the honor based on recommendations from doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, patient experience surveys, and certain performance indicators, such as medical outcomes.

*Air transport services provided by Metro Aviation, Inc.

The Polk Family