Neonatal ICU At Silver Cross Given Green Light To Open

NEW LENOX, IL — Will County's first and only Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit officially opened Monday at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox after getting approval from the Illinois Department of Public Health, according to a news release from the hospital.

The opening of the new 24-bed Amy, Matthew and Jay Vana NICU means high-risk expectant mothers and critically ill babies no longer have to travel far for safe, advanced care. The NICU features all single-family private rooms, and was modeled after and staffed 24/7 by neonatologists from the NICU of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, according to the release.

In 2021, nearly 3,200 babies were born at Silver Cross. Each year, nearly 50 babies require highly specialized care that was only available at a Level 3 nursery or NICU, according to the release.

"For decades, these children have been transported to a NICU, usually in downtown Chicago. You can only imagine the stress and worry this creates for parents during an already difficult time," said President/CEO of Silver Cross Hospital, Ruth Colby. "So, in keeping with our mission to improve the health of those we serve and advance wellness in our community, Silver Cross saw the need, and we set out to address it."

Planning for the NICU began in 2019 when the hospital received approval from the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board to proceed with the construction of a NICU on the New Lenox campus, according to the release. Construction began in late 2020 and was completed in February at a cost of $14 million.

The NICU was named in appreciation of Tom and Michele Vana’s gift to advance care for area newborns, according to the release. The facility is named the Amy, Matthew and Jay Vana Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Silver Cross Hospital, after the couple’s triplets.

The Vanas' close ties to Silver Cross date back more than three decades, when Tom and Michele met in Silver Cross Hospital’s Emergency Department. Michele was working as a registered nurse and Tom worked as a paramedic for his family’s business, Kurtz Ambulance Service. They married in 1990 and were overjoyed when they learned they were expecting triplets.

Twenty-nine weeks into her pregnancy, Michele went into premature labor, delivering Amy, Jay, and Matthew on Oct. 10, 1995. Each weighed approximately 2 pounds and required months of intensive care.

“Tom and I want to make sure that other parents don’t have to experience what we went through; the stress and anxiety of making the long trip back and forth to Chicago for months to be with our tiny, sick newborns every minute of every day for nine weeks," Michele Vana said. "Our investment, along with that of many others, ensures that our children and grandchildren and families throughout Will County and beyond will have access to the very best neonatal care nearby."

For more information, or to make a charitable donation to support Silver Cross Hospital’s NICU, visit www.silvercross.org or call the Silver Cross Foundation at (815) 300-7105.