Baby Chip had less than a 10% chance of survival when he was born. Now, thanks to the dedicated team at Hillcrest Medical Center’s (HMC) NICU, he’s thriving. Alex Richards, RN and nurse manager of the NICU at HMC, spoke to News On 6 about the dedication, empathy and compassion that go into taking care of these babies and their families. Click here to view the story online.
TULSA, Okla. – September is Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Awareness Month, a time to support families with babies in the NICU and the healthcare workers taking care of them.
Chip was born at 25 weeks, and he weighed less than one pound. He’s receiving around-the-clock care in the NICU at Hillcrest Medical Center.
“He has actually been with us for nine weeks, and he is a little rock star,” said Alex Richards, a NICU nurse.
His care team says Chip might be small, but he is mighty.
“He had less than a 10 percent chance of survival due to the fact that we didn’t even know if the equipment was even going to fit,” said Richards.
This is her 16th year working in the NICU. She knew she wanted to be a nurse when she was in eighth grade.
Richards says nurses in the NICU have to wear many hats beyond healthcare, like comforting parents.
“As a NICU nurse, at baseline, you should have compassion, but the most important thing is to have that empathy and to be able to get down on the parents’ level and actually understand and not just tell them what they need to do but actually walk through it with them,” she said.
The CDC says admission rates for the NICU have increased in 40 states, including Oklahoma, from 2016 to 2023.
In 2023, nearly 9 percent of babies born in our state spent time in the NICU.
Richards says there are about 2,400 babies delivered every year at Hillcrest, with about 660 admitted to the NICU.
She says those babies can range from premature, like Chip, to full-term infants in need of a little extra care.
“The majority that you can see is just those little babies that need the little stays in the NICU,” Richards said. “They just need us for 48 hours, sometimes 5 to 7 days, just to help them transition out of the womb.”
Every morning, doctors check on the NICU babies and recommend any changes to their care.
The nurses then monitor how each baby responds, while making sure routine care and feedings are done every three hours.
Nurses also help walk parents through the care plan.
“Ultimately, they’re entrusting their baby to me and my team to take care of their most precious thing, but I’m also helping them get through a very devastating time,” said Richards.
Hillcrest says it has expanded its NICU staff by hiring 15 new nurses in 2025.
This story was written by News on 6. You can view the full story online here.