03/05/2026
Today was a dream come true! 🎉 Ballad Health celebrated the grand opening of an expansion of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Niswonger Children’s Hospital with a press conference and ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking a major milestone for children and families throughout Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
The $53 million project, funded through capital from Ballad Health, $22.2 million from the Ballad Health Foundation’s Hope Rising comprehensive capital campaign for pediatric needs and a $16.8 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Health, adds 43,000 square feet across two new floors.
The expansion includes 48 private family rooms, specialized twin rooms, a new milk lab for advanced nutrition and updated technology such as Panda Warmers to help regulate body temperature for premature and medically fragile infants.
Past graduates of the former NICU opened the ceremony with an invocation, representing the thousands of families whose stories began at Niswonger Children’s Hospital.
Alan Levine, chairman and CEO of Ballad Health, said the expansion reflects a long-term commitment to the region’s families and children.
“This new NICU represents our deep commitment to the families we serve, as well as to our dedicated team members and medical staff who care for our most vulnerable patients,” Levine said. “We are profoundly grateful to our community for making this state-of-the-art expansion possible. Because Ballad Health underwrote all program costs of the Hope Rising campaign, every dollar raised went directly to building this remarkable space.
“Moving from shared spaces to private rooms is a dramatic transformation — one that allows parents to remain at their baby’s bedside during the most critical moments and ensures the highest level of advanced neonatal care close to home, across the Appalachian Highlands,” added Levine.
Levine also acknowledged regional advocates and state partners whose support helped secure critical funding for the project.
The event included shared stories from NICU alumni and their families. David and Kaitlyn Snyder, twins who began life in the NICU at Niswonger Children’s Hospital, returned to help open the event. David, now a respiratory therapist at Johnson City Medical Center, spoke about the project’s significance.
“My sister and I started our lives in the NICU,” he said. “Today, I get to care for patients in the same place that gave us a fighting chance. This expansion means more families will have the support and resources they need during the hardest moments of their lives.”
The expansion was made possible through significant community support, including major contributions from philanthropist and the hospital’s Chief Benefactor Scott Niswonger, and the family of the late J.D. Nicewonder, whose $7 million gift established the J.D. Nicewonder Family Perinatal and Pediatric Institute at Niswonger Children’s Hospital.
With the NICU expansion complete, Ballad Health is continuing to evaluate additional improvements to address pediatric needs across the region. Future projects include updates to the pediatric emergency department and pediatric surgery services.
The new NICU at Niswonger Children’s Hospital will begin caring for patients on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, when the expanded unit officially opens and neonatal services transition into the new private-room facility.
To read more about Niswonger Children's Hospital new neonatal intensive care unit, please visit https://www.balladhealth.org/news/newest-nicu-tennessee-virginia.
