Keeping Families Together: A New Chapter for Corbin’s NICU
Late in November 2025, representatives from Kosair for Kids visited Baptist Health Corbin to see the care already taking place inside its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and hear how their $1 million investment would help shape its future.
Artwork created by nurses welcomed the group from the nursery’s glass walls. Nearby, newborns rested quietly as the Corbin team explained how warmers, incubators and monitoring equipment support each baby’s growth and development.
Among those waiting to share what the NICU means to local families was Retha Ledford, a Baptist Health Corbin employee and former NICU nurse.
Retha spent nearly seven years caring for newborns and supporting families through joyful births and complicated deliveries. In 2018, her grandson needed the same specialized care.
His arrival followed years of fertility struggles for Retha’s son and daughter-in-law, making the news of the pregnancy especially emotional.
"I will never forget the day they told me," Retha recalled. "I was fighting back tears. I said, 'this is a prayer answered.'"
Early in her pregnancy, Retha's daughter-in-law, Kimberly, developed pregnancy-induced hypertension. By 29 weeks, she was placed on strict bed rest to give her son more time to grow and allow his lungs to develop.
“Being a NICU nurse, I had seen great outcomes, but I had also seen heartbreaking outcomes,” Retha shared. “This is something, as a mother and nurse, I did not want my children to go through.”
When Retha's daughter-in-law arrived at Baptist Health Corbin at 35 weeks, her blood pressure was severely high and lab results showed signs of HELLP syndrome, a serious pregnancy complication that affects the blood and liver. Delivering the baby by C-section became the safest option.
Retha understood the medical concerns surrounding the delivery, but she chose not to attend as a nurse.
“I wanted to be Mimi,” she said. “I wanted to be with my family.”
After he was born, Kash was transferred to the NICU with respiratory distress syndrome related to prematurity and placed on a breathing support machine. The family could have requested a transfer, but Retha trusted Baptist Health Corbin.
“My heart hurt for my children, but I knew he was in great hands with the NICU nurses and the neonatologist," she said. "I had worked alongside them in many difficult situations and I knew they were very competent in their jobs."
Seven years later, standing within those same NICU walls, Retha reflected on the team that carried her family through those difficult days.
“In that moment, more than any other time in my NICU career, I understood just how truly blessed our community is to have such a remarkable NICU with such compassionate nurses at Baptist Health Corbin,” she told the Kosair for Kids visitors. “These nurses who are not only my coworkers but are family to me.”
Kash received the care he needed close to home, but the experience also showed Retha how the current space could better support families. When he was born, parents did not have a guaranteed place to stay with babies admitted to the NICU.
“They could come down for the feeds or come down to visit any time they wanted to visit Kash, but it’s still not like having the baby in the room with you,” she said.
Later in the tour, the Kosair for Kids team was greeted by a sign reading “Future Kosair for Kids NICU.” A rendering offered a glimpse of the expanded space to come. Despite the cold fall weather and first signs of construction outside, the room carried the warmth of a grateful community, hopeful and excited for the years ahead.
Kosair for Kids’ $1 million investment will help more than triple the NICU’s footprint, growing it from 2,165 to 6,647 square feet. The expanded unit will include 10 private rooms, allowing Baptist Health Corbin to care for more babies while giving parents space to remain with them.
“Now they’re going to have private rooms where the mamas and dads can stay in the room with the baby,” Retha said. “This generous contribution is going to allow for the parents to not have to be separated in such an intense and emotional time of their life.”
The gift to Corbin is part of Kosair for Kids’ broader commitment to neonatal care across Baptist Health. Through contributions totaling $11 million, the organization has supported every Baptist Health NICU with nearly each unit carrying – or set to carry – the Kosair for Kids name.
“This partnership will provide resources so that our community’s most vulnerable children have the best chance at a healthy and hopeful future,” said Kosair for Kids president and CEO, Barry Dunn. “For more than a century, Kosair for Kids has delivered on the promise to help all children in Kentucky and southern Indiana. This funding ensures that our most fragile babies are welcomed into the world with the best care possible.”
Construction is expected to begin in 2027 following the completion of Baptist Health Corbin’s 80,000-square-foot Patient Care Wing project, which includes growing the ICU from 10 to 24 private rooms. Once the ICU relocates, its former space will be converted into the expanded NICU.
More space means more families helped, and more babies cared for close to home. It's more chances for children like Kash, who today is healthy and thriving – the outcome his family hoped for when he arrived so small and so soon.
"We often refer to Kash as our miracle baby: the baby we thought we would never get to hold and cherish," Retha said. "We prayed many prayers for him and He answered, and I'm just so thankful He put us where we needed to be."
Artwork created by nurses welcomed the group from the nursery’s glass walls. Nearby, newborns rested quietly as the Corbin team explained how warmers, incubators and monitoring equipment support each baby’s growth and development.
Among those waiting to share what the NICU means to local families was Retha Ledford, a Baptist Health Corbin employee and former NICU nurse.
Retha spent nearly seven years caring for newborns and supporting families through joyful births and complicated deliveries. In 2018, her grandson needed the same specialized care.
His arrival followed years of fertility struggles for Retha’s son and daughter-in-law, making the news of the pregnancy especially emotional.
"I will never forget the day they told me," Retha recalled. "I was fighting back tears. I said, 'this is a prayer answered.'"
Early in her pregnancy, Retha's daughter-in-law, Kimberly, developed pregnancy-induced hypertension. By 29 weeks, she was placed on strict bed rest to give her son more time to grow and allow his lungs to develop.
“Being a NICU nurse, I had seen great outcomes, but I had also seen heartbreaking outcomes,” Retha shared. “This is something, as a mother and nurse, I did not want my children to go through.”
When Retha's daughter-in-law arrived at Baptist Health Corbin at 35 weeks, her blood pressure was severely high and lab results showed signs of HELLP syndrome, a serious pregnancy complication that affects the blood and liver. Delivering the baby by C-section became the safest option.
Retha understood the medical concerns surrounding the delivery, but she chose not to attend as a nurse.
“I wanted to be Mimi,” she said. “I wanted to be with my family.”
After he was born, Kash was transferred to the NICU with respiratory distress syndrome related to prematurity and placed on a breathing support machine. The family could have requested a transfer, but Retha trusted Baptist Health Corbin.
“My heart hurt for my children, but I knew he was in great hands with the NICU nurses and the neonatologist," she said. "I had worked alongside them in many difficult situations and I knew they were very competent in their jobs."
Seven years later, standing within those same NICU walls, Retha reflected on the team that carried her family through those difficult days.
“In that moment, more than any other time in my NICU career, I understood just how truly blessed our community is to have such a remarkable NICU with such compassionate nurses at Baptist Health Corbin,” she told the Kosair for Kids visitors. “These nurses who are not only my coworkers but are family to me.”
Kash received the care he needed close to home, but the experience also showed Retha how the current space could better support families. When he was born, parents did not have a guaranteed place to stay with babies admitted to the NICU.
“They could come down for the feeds or come down to visit any time they wanted to visit Kash, but it’s still not like having the baby in the room with you,” she said.
Later in the tour, the Kosair for Kids team was greeted by a sign reading “Future Kosair for Kids NICU.” A rendering offered a glimpse of the expanded space to come. Despite the cold fall weather and first signs of construction outside, the room carried the warmth of a grateful community, hopeful and excited for the years ahead.
Kosair for Kids’ $1 million investment will help more than triple the NICU’s footprint, growing it from 2,165 to 6,647 square feet. The expanded unit will include 10 private rooms, allowing Baptist Health Corbin to care for more babies while giving parents space to remain with them.
“Now they’re going to have private rooms where the mamas and dads can stay in the room with the baby,” Retha said. “This generous contribution is going to allow for the parents to not have to be separated in such an intense and emotional time of their life.”
The gift to Corbin is part of Kosair for Kids’ broader commitment to neonatal care across Baptist Health. Through contributions totaling $11 million, the organization has supported every Baptist Health NICU with nearly each unit carrying – or set to carry – the Kosair for Kids name.
“This partnership will provide resources so that our community’s most vulnerable children have the best chance at a healthy and hopeful future,” said Kosair for Kids president and CEO, Barry Dunn. “For more than a century, Kosair for Kids has delivered on the promise to help all children in Kentucky and southern Indiana. This funding ensures that our most fragile babies are welcomed into the world with the best care possible.”
Construction is expected to begin in 2027 following the completion of Baptist Health Corbin’s 80,000-square-foot Patient Care Wing project, which includes growing the ICU from 10 to 24 private rooms. Once the ICU relocates, its former space will be converted into the expanded NICU.
More space means more families helped, and more babies cared for close to home. It's more chances for children like Kash, who today is healthy and thriving – the outcome his family hoped for when he arrived so small and so soon.
"We often refer to Kash as our miracle baby: the baby we thought we would never get to hold and cherish," Retha said. "We prayed many prayers for him and He answered, and I'm just so thankful He put us where we needed to be."
“In that moment, more than any other time in my NICU career, I understood just how truly blessed our community is to have such a remarkable NICU with such compassionate nurses at Baptist Health Corbin. These nurses who are not only my coworkers but are family to
The Dawn of a Healthier Tomorrow
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