NICU resources · Caldwell & Canyon County
NICU care for Caldwell & Canyon County families
Caldwell no longer has a NICU. West Valley Medical Center closed its labor & delivery unit and NICU on April 1, 2024, so Caldwell-area babies who need NICU care now go to hospitals in Nampa or Boise.
If you are expecting, or your baby has just been admitted somewhere new, here is where Canyon County’s nearest NICUs are and what help is close to home.
Hospitals
Canyon County NICUs: Nampa
Nampa, Caldwell’s Canyon County neighbor, has two NICUs — one run by St. Luke’s and one by Saint Alphonsus. Both are Level II units connected to a higher-level NICU in Boise.
St. Luke’s Nampa Medical Center
9850 W. St. Luke’s Dr., Nampa, ID 83687
Babies can be transported back closer to home after care in Boise.
Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Nampa (Birkeland Maternity Center)
4402 E. Flamingo Ave., Nampa, ID 83687
Babies who need a higher level of care are transferred to Saint Alphonsus in Boise.
Higher-level NICUs: Boise
Babies who need more specialized care are cared for in Boise. Both health systems describe moving babies between their Nampa and Boise NICUs as needs change.
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
Without a NICU in Caldwell, the level of care your baby needs decides where they go. Nampa’s Level II NICUs handle babies whose needs are moderate or expected to resolve fairly quickly. Boise’s Level III and Level 4 NICUs care for critically ill babies and those who need the most specialized teams.
If you are pregnant and know your baby may need NICU care, ask your provider which hospital you are planning to deliver at, and which NICU that hospital works with.
NICU levels of care, explainedLocal support
Support for NICU families in Caldwell
WIC in Caldwell (Southwest District Health)
Southwest District Health runs WIC for Canyon County. It lists a full-service Caldwell site with WIC hours Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., and a WIC site at the Caldwell Housing Authority (Farmway) on the first Monday and third Thursday of each month.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Idaho
For Caldwell families with a baby in a Boise NICU: the house at 139 E. Warm Springs Ave. hosts families who live outside Ada County, 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.
Hospital NICU parent support
St. Luke’s lists parent support and advocacy lines for each of its NICUs — Nampa (208) 205-7199 and Boise (208) 381-3254 — plus care coordination and social work. Saint Alphonsus’s Boise NICU lists support from the March of Dimes and trained volunteers.
Idaho Infant Toddler Program
Idaho’s statewide early intervention program, run by the Department of Health and Welfare, for children from birth to age 3 with a significant developmental delay or a condition likely to cause one. Families anywhere in Idaho can refer 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
Caldwell NICU questions
Is there still a NICU in Caldwell?
Where will a Caldwell baby who needs NICU care go?
Where do Caldwell families sign up for WIC?
Can we stay near the hospital if our baby is in a Boise NICU?
Helping Hands
How we help NICU moms in Caldwell
Since Caldwell’s NICU closed, a Caldwell mom whose baby needs NICU care spends those days at a hospital in another city. Being away from home is one more weight to carry, and a basket is one small way to say she hasn’t been forgotten.
Each spring we fill care baskets with comfort items, essentials, and encouragement and deliver them to NICU moms in local Treasure Valley hospitals 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 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 guideBringing your NICU baby home
What usually needs to happen before NICU discharge — from the car seat test to safe sleep and follow-up appointments — plus a checklist for your first weeks at home.
Read the guideHow to help a friend in the NICU
Specific, practical ways to support a family whose baby is in the NICU — from meals and rides to what to say — with Boise-area resources to share.
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 guideSources (checked October 2026): KIVI — West Valley Medical Center labor & delivery and NICU closure (April 1, 2024); Southwest District Health — Contact & WIC sites; Southwest District Health — WIC (counties served); St. Luke’s — Newborn Intensive Care; Saint Alphonsus — NICU.
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.