St. Francis Hospital has raised the level of care for premature babies.

On Aug. 23, the Federal Way hospital opened its Special Care Nursery. The new nursery is certified at Level 2, allowing care of infants born four to six weeks premature with minor health problems.

The nursery will keep more mothers and newborns together in case of health complications — rather than sending the baby to a neighboring hospital such as St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma or Auburn Regional Medical Center.

“We were transferring 50 babies a year,” said Lynn Rhett, manager of the hospital’s Family Birth Center. She estimated that five out of every 1,000 births will require special care at the new nursery.

The arrangement is expected to reduce discomfort for patients while providing more efficiency in care. Previously, St. Francis was qualified for Level 1 care for healthy full-term newborns. Babies who needed only few hours of observation, for example, were forced to transfer to another hospital with proper certification. The St. Francis facility now offers round-the-clock care for up to six infants at a time. The higher level of care requires specialized equipment as well as additional training for nurses and staff, Rhett said.

“Now we can help keep mom and baby in the same building,” she said.

The hospital will still transfer infants that require Level 3 care, which deals with premature newborns born at 32 weeks gestation or earlier. The facility, located at the Federal Way hospital’s Family Birth Center, was funded by Franciscan Health System and Catholic Health Initiatives. In 2006, St. Francis Hospital sought state approval for expansion with a Certificate of Need. The $60 million construction package included a 30-bed critical care unit that opened in 2008, along with 36 additional patient beds (18 activated) and a yet-to-be-built new wing. The nursery’s upgrades were part of that expansion. Auburn Regional Medical Center was a vocal opponent of the St. Francis expansion, citing concerns over competition.