Mercy Hospital Springfield has received a $2 million donation from a local philanthropist for a neonatal intensive care unit renovation under way at the Springfield, Mo., hospital.
The contribution from businessman Bobby Allison goes toward a $4 million campaign to support a $19 million NICU renovation and expansion. The project will update the facilities, nearly double the number of NICU beds to 53 and create private rooms for each family. Mercy Springfield expects to complete the project by early 2014.
The NICU will be named for Allison's mother, Betty. Bobby Allison, a Springfield native who works at Springfield's Southwest By-Products, previously has donated to other projects benefitting children, including a junior golf course and a baseball field that accommodates the abilities of disabled children.