Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, BETHESDA, MD  –   Walter Reed National Military Medical Center moved its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) from the Arrowhead building into the new Roosevelt Pavilion on May 3, relocating four infants in a carefully planned operation.

The move is part of a broader transition that brings several departments, including Women’s Health and the Mother Infant Care Center into the state-of-the-art Roosevelt Pavilion, which offers modern, spacious rooms designed with the patient and their family in mind.

Among the first babies moved was Emily, daughter of U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Jacob Claycamp and Kate Mahn. Emily’s parents, who experienced a medical emergency during birth, praised the care at Walter Reed. “This was amazing care,” said Claycamp, describing how quickly the team responded when Mahn required an emergency cesarean.

Emily, born more than six weeks premature, is now thriving and may soon be discharged.

“She’s grown leaps and bounds and gained a lot of weight,” Claycamp said.

The new NICU offers greater privacy and comfort, with individual rooms for each patient.

“This is a lot more comfortable and nicer than the old NICU, but that doesn’t negate the level of care we received in both venues, which was stellar across each,” Claycamp added.

Staff and families appreciated the smooth transition. U.S. Army Maj. (Dr.) Mathew Harrell, an attending neonatologist, described the move as a coordinated effort involving leadership, nursing, and support teams. “In terms of Military Medicine this is what we do. We band together and do what’s best by the patients,” Harrell said.

“It’s a wonderful thing that we now can offer families that personalized space that we could not in the last unit at this level, so we’re very, very happy to be over here.”

The successful relocation underscores Walter Reed’s commitment to providing exceptional care for its youngest patients and their families.