Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

The PICU is a 24 bed unit located on the 7th floor Quarterback Tower in the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children. We take care of patients requiring high level monitoring, intense observation, special procedures, and numerous interventions. The patients in this intensive care unit are usually age 1 month and older. Our patients have a variety of diagnoses. The nursing staff on this unit because of the intensity will take care of no more that 1—2 patients depending on how sick the patient may be.

Phone: 205-638-9100

Family Presence

We encourage families to be with the patient. We hope the parents/guardians will be here to share information, take part in decisions and work with the healthcare team. We realize this is a stressful time for you and your family. The PICU strives to offer your child excellent care. We seek to maintain and support the parent/child relationship, to promote normal growth and development and to minimize the negative effects of hospitalization. The members of the PICU have prepared this booklet to introduce you to the unit and to help answer some of the many questions you may have regarding your child’s care. It is understandable that in this time of stress it is difficult to absorb much of the information that you will receive. Please feel free to ask your child’s nurse and doctors questions at any time. Many of the words you will hear in the PICU will sound strange; therefore a Glossary of Terms and Roles is in this book. We hope this guide will help you during your stay in the PICU.