PVHMC Receives Inaugural Excellence Award for Normothermia Care in NICU Infants

Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (PVHMC) has been awarded the inaugural Bhatt Normothermia Excellence Award from the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative (CPQCC), a statewide network of California’s neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and High Risk Infant Follow-up (HRIF) clinics.

CPQCC this year created the Bhatt Normothermia Excellence Award to recognize NICUs whose infants have the most consistently high chance of being admitted to the NICU normothermic. Newborn normothermia rates upon admission to California hospital NICUs averaged in the 60-70th percentile, while PVHMC has consistently ranked above 90%.

Normothermia in the NICU setting refers to the maintenance of a neonate’s temperature between 97.7 – 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the National Library of Medicine, there is a high incidence of hypothermia in preterm infants after delivery. Evidence suggests that hypothermia in this population is linked to a higher risk of morbidity, including hypoglycemia, respiratory distress, jaundice and susceptibility to infection, as well as mortality.

“It’ is an honor to be recognized for our commitment to excellence in normothermia care for our neonates,” says Shahid Kamran, MD, neonatal-perinatal medicine physician and medical director of the NICU at PVHMC. “We’re proud of the interdisciplinary team we have formed that can provide evidence-based comprehensive care that can save the lives of our most fragile patients.”

PVHMC attributes the success of its normothermia program to the collaborative care model between the NICU and labor and delivery unit. Pre-delivery communication regarding a neonate’s condition allows the teams to pre-heat the maternity room and bed, ensuring that the baby receives a warm welcome into the world. Normothermia is then supported during the transition from delivery to NICU admission by the hospital’s transport and micro preemie nurses.

“A neonate’s transition from the womb to the delivery room is the highest risk period for heat loss,” adds Dr. Kamran. “When our NICU and maternity teams work together, we give our smallest patients the strongest possible start before their NICU journey even begins.”

In addition, the nurses implement numerous interventions to prevent heat loss and achieve normothermia immediately after delivery. These include the use of radiant warmers, exothermic mattresses, warmed blankets, woolen caps, humidified conditions in its isolettes, warmed cannulas that deliver oxygen to the baby and clear polyurethane bags that promote a humid environment while allowing access for the care team without compromising heat loss.

Dilip Bhatt, MD, a neonatologist and clinical researcher, has championed normothermia efforts across the CPQCC network as a key, evidence-based driver of better morbidity and mortality outcomes for neonates. The award highlights alignment and excellence with that initiative.

The award was presented at CPQCC’s Improvement Palooza 2026 on March 18^th, a conference that brough together experts in neonatology to explore cutting-edge developments in quality improvement and modern newborn care.

PVHMC’s NICU is a state-of-the-art 53-bed level IIIb community intensive care unit, featuring board certified neonatologists and pediatric specialists, as well as a multidisciplinary care team. It also has a Neonatal Transport Service to provide rapid intervention and transfer for neonatal patients born throughout the region.

To learn more about PVHMC’s NICU, click here.