UPDATE ON SUNNYBROOK NICU CLOSURE AS OF 1500hrs

To clarify the situation in the Sunnybrook
Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit please be advised of the following points:

• There are currently 28 admitted babies in the NICU, 12 are in
  isolation and two of these babies have symptoms associated with
  Staphylococcus aureus. The two babies are responding to antibiotic
  treatment. The other 10 in isolation have tested positive for the
  bacterium but they do not have symptoms. The 12 babies in isolation are
  being cared for in a separate area. The remaining 16 babies do not have
  Staphylococcus aureus.

• Total capacity of the NICU is 41 bassinettes but there are
  only 28 admitted patients on the unit.

• To avoid transmission of infection the 12 babies in isolation
  are being cared for by a separate team of clinicians than the 16 babies
  who have not been affected.

• Mothers scheduled to deliver in the Sunnybrook Perinatal and
  Gynaecology program located at Women’s College Hospital will be able to
  deliver as planned. If their babies require NICU care they will be
  admitted in a separate area of the NICU. The NICU is closed to transfer
  patients from other hospitals only.

• A special hotline number has been set up for people who have
  questions about their neonatal or obstetrical care. Please call
  416-323-6400 ext 4471 for more information.

• Sunnybrook’s NICU is located at 76 Grenville Street in the
  Women’s College Hospital Building but it is part of the Sunnybrook
  Perinatal and Gynaecology program.

• Each year, the program delivers about 4,000 babies of which
  about 25 per cent are high-risk deliveries. The NICU cares for about one
  in five babies born in the province who weigh less than three pounds.