Intermountain Health Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver provides care with intricate knowledge and compassionate skills for some of the most vulnerable patients.
(PRUnderground) April 20th, 2025
At Intermountain Health Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, six neonatologists work 24/7/365 in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), caring for some of the tiniest patients and having enormous impact on families. NICU caregivers focus on the medical care of newborn infants, including those who are ill or born early.
“The neonatologists are the reason our son is alive,” said Briana Meketuk of Keenesburg, Colorado, whose son, Lowell, spent 168 days at Intermountain Saint Joseph Hospital’s NICU. “We will forever be grateful for everything they did that allowed us to bring our son home.”
Amber Gieri, MD, an Intermountain board-certified neonatologist, said her field requires intricate knowledge and compassionate caregiving skills to care for some of the most vulnerable patients.
“The physiology in babies is very different from that of adults and requires a specialist trained in the care of premature or critically ill full-term neonates,” she said.
The primary responsibilities of a neonatologist include diagnosis and treatment, working with healthcare teams, and guiding and supporting parents.
Neonatologists diagnose and treat newborns with a variety of conditions ranging from respiratory distress, infections, and birth defects to more complex issues like congenital heart disease and genetic disorders. They continuously observe the vital signs and overall health of newborns and adjust care as needed to help with stability and recovery.
Collaboration with the larger healthcare team is critical to the care provided in the NICU.
Neonatologists work closely with nurses, respiratory therapists, surgeons, dietitians, and developmental therapists to develop and implement comprehensive care plans for each newborn.
Dr. Gieri has been on the medial staff at Saint Joseph Hospital for six years while the other neonatologists have been there as long as 20.
Until recently, they were employed by an independent large physician group. When that group announced it would no longer provide neonatal care at Intermountain Health, Dr. Gieri and her colleagues decided to change employers so they could maintain their work at Saint Joseph.
“It really is a special NICU,” Dr. Gieri said. “Many factors played into all of us wanting to stay. The history of this unit is unique. It is very well established with a committed staff of nurses, therapists, pharmacists, and dietitians who are all invested in the best outcomes for our patients and their families.”
She said the team at Intermountain Saint Joseph has a history of being progressive and patient- and family-centered. She noted the hospital was an early adopter in using donor breast milk because they recognized the benefits to the babies.
“There is a commitment amongst all our staff and providers to ensure the best possible outcomes for our patients. That unwavering commitment made us want to stay,” she said.
Later this spring two additional neonatologists will join the group. Together they support all four Intermountain Health hospitals in the Denver metro area.
In addition to caring for babies, neonatologists also provide critical emotional and informational support to parents, helping them understand their child’s condition, treatment options, and prognosis.
They guide parents on how to care for their newborn once they are discharged from the hospital. Babies and their families often stay in the NICU for several months and develop close relationships with their caregivers, she said.
“We walk (parents) through what’s going to be a long NICU stay. It can be scary at times, but getting a baby to the date of discharge is very rewarding,” she said. “We enjoy the opportunity to partner with families, and that is key to the babies doing well.”
Meketuk said neonatologists stopped every day and involved her and her husband in daily discussions, so they were aware of what the plan was for that day or if any changes were necessary for Lowell’s care.
Lowell, now 2 years old, was born at 24 weeks gestation due to preterm, premature rupture of her membranes.
“In the early days of his life when things were scary, they would always come in and check on us to make sure we were doing OK and made sure we had a good understanding of what care he was receiving,” she said.
Meketuk said one of the hardest things about having an extremely premature baby is feeling like you are a parent. She said the care team always made sure she and her husband could do as much as possible when it came to caring for their baby.
“We always knew our son was receiving the best care possible with the neonatologists we had,” she said.
Intermountain Health welcomes the six neonatologists currently caring for newborns and families in the NICUs at Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette, Lutheran Hospital in Wheat Ridge, Platte Valley Hospital in Brighton, and Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver. The physicians providing care include:
- Amber Gieri, MD
- Anette Kunig, MD
- Ann Ryan, MD
- Brittany Butler, MD
- Corrie Alonzo, MD
- Yin Stein, MD
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.
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