NICU resources · Boise
NICU in Boise, Idaho
Boise is where the Treasure Valley’s most specialized newborn care happens. Both of the valley’s highest-level NICUs are here, so many families end up in Boise even if their baby was born somewhere else.
Below you’ll find both Boise NICUs as each hospital describes them, and the local help we point NICU families to.
Hospitals
Boise’s two NICUs
St. Luke’s and Saint Alphonsus each run their highest-level NICU in Boise. St. Luke’s says its Air St. Luke’s maternal-child transport team brings babies to the Boise NICU and later carries them back to Meridian, Nampa, or Magic Valley as they improve. Saint Alphonsus says families from across Idaho and eastern Oregon come to its Boise NICU.
St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital
190 E. Bannock St., Boise, ID 83712
Described by St. Luke’s as Idaho’s largest NICU, with board-certified neonatologists on site 24/7.
Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center
1055 N. Curtis Rd., Boise, ID 83706
Lists family areas, sibling play areas, overnight transition rooms, and lactation consultants.
Levels shown exactly as each hospital lists them on its own website (St. Luke’s uses Arabic numerals, Saint Alphonsus uses Roman numerals). Checked October 2026 — call the hospital to confirm current details.
Levels of care
Which NICU level handles what
St. Luke’s lists its Boise NICU as Level 4 and Saint Alphonsus lists its Boise NICU as Level III. Under American Academy of Pediatrics definitions, a Level III NICU cares for critically ill babies, including those who need ongoing breathing support. A Level IV NICU does all of that and also has pediatric surgical specialists on site for the most complex conditions.
Both are the top of their health system’s network. That is why a baby born in Meridian or Nampa may be moved to Boise, then moved back closer to home once they no longer need that level of care.
NICU levels of care, explainedLocal support
Support for NICU families in Boise
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Idaho
A home away from home near the Boise hospitals at 139 E. Warm Springs Ave. Families who live outside Ada County with a child (18 or younger) receiving treatment in the Boise area can stay with a referral from a social worker or medical provider. The suggested donation is $10 a night, and no family is turned away for inability to pay.
St. Luke’s Boise NICU parent support
St. Luke’s lists a parent support and advocacy line for its Boise NICU, along with care coordination, social work, and spiritual care. Saint Alphonsus’s Boise NICU lists support from the March of Dimes and trained volunteers.
St. Luke’s Children’s NICU Follow-up Clinic
Developmental follow-up for NICU graduates at 305 E. Jefferson St., Boise. Open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
WIC in Boise (Central District Health)
Central District Health runs WIC for Ada County. It lists a Boise clinic, with walk-in appointments on Wednesdays, and you can apply online. WIC may also be able to help with a breast pump.
Idaho Parents Unlimited
A Boise-based organization offering training and support for families of children with disabilities and special health needs, including families navigating early intervention.
Idaho Infant Toddler Program
Idaho’s early intervention program for children from birth to age 3 who have a significant developmental delay, or a condition likely to cause one. Parents can refer their own child by phone, email, or online form.
Hand to Hold
Free national peer support that matches NICU parents with trained mentors who have been there — by text, call, or video.
Helping Hands for NICU Moms is not affiliated with these organizations. Details were checked against each organization’s website in October 2026 — please confirm directly, as programs change. More resources are on our NICU resources page.
Questions
Boise NICU questions
Which hospitals in Boise have a NICU?
Our family lives outside Boise. Where can we stay while our baby is in a Boise NICU?
Is there follow-up care in Boise after a NICU stay?
Where can I donate extra breast milk in Boise?
Helping Hands
How we help NICU moms in Boise
Some of the moms in Boise’s NICUs came from across the valley, or farther, after a transfer they never expected. A Mother’s Day spent at a bedside, away from home, is exactly why we started.
Each spring we build care baskets with comfort items, essentials, and encouragement and deliver them to NICU moms in local Treasure Valley hospitals in time for Mother’s Day.
75
care baskets is our goal for Mother’s Day 2027.
Guides
Guides for NICU families
What to expect in the NICU
Your baby was just admitted to the NICU. What the room, the monitors, the care team, and the daily routine look like — and how parents can be part of their baby’s care.
Read the guideQuestions to ask the NICU team
A printable list of questions NICU parents can bring to rounds — about your baby’s care plan, feeding, tests, your role, and getting ready for discharge.
Read the guideNICU glossary
Apnea, brady, CPAP, gavage, PICC, bili lights — the words you hear in the NICU, explained simply so you can follow along at your baby’s bedside.
Read the guideKangaroo care in the NICU
What kangaroo care is, what research says about skin-to-skin holding for premature and NICU babies, and what to expect the first time you hold your baby this way.
Read the guideMental health for NICU parents
Feeling overwhelmed during or after a NICU stay is common. Signs of postpartum depression, anxiety, and trauma to watch for — and free, confidential help for Idaho parents.
Read the guideSources (checked October 2026): St. Luke’s — Newborn Intensive Care; Saint Alphonsus — NICU; Central District Health — WIC.
Every basket tells a mom she is not alone.
Your gift helps fill care baskets with comfort items, essentials, and encouragement for local NICU moms.