Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

Neuroscience/Trauma Intensive Care Unit (6ICU)

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
757 Westwood Plaza, 6th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Main Phone: 310-267-7641

About Our Unit

6ICU

We want you to feel welcome in the Neuroscience/Trauma Intensive Care Unit (6ICU). Your healthcare team understands that this is a difficult time for you. While your loved one is in 6ICU, he or she will be monitored closely. We are committed to delivering the highest level of care to you and your loved one.

Our 6ICU is a 24-bed facility organized according to guidelines established by the Society of Critical Care Medicine. It is operated by a team of board-certified physicians and nurses. UCLA is a recognized leader in the field of neurointensive care.

We encourage you to take care of your own health and well-being while your loved one is in our care.

Download and print our brochure
Read in Español (Spanish)

Visitation Guidelines

The patient's needs, safety, comfort and privacy are our primary concerns. By following these guidelines, we are able to devote our time and attention to your loved one's care.

  • We have open visitation, 24 hours a day. For the safety of our patients, please be aware that you may be asked to step out of the ICU temporarily. You will be able to visit as soon as possible.
  • In order to ensure patient privacy, call on the intercom or wall phone before entering the ICU, even if the doors are open. Please stop, call and speak to a staff member for permission to enter.
  • For our patient's safety, please limit the number of visitors at the bedside. Two to four visitors at a time are invited to be in your loved one's room. This number may change at any given time depending on the patient's needs.
  • Visitors must either wash or sanitize their hands before entering and leaving the patient's bedside.
  • We encourage you to touch and speak to your loved one throughout the healing process, but there may be times when the patient needs limited stimulation. We have designated "Quiet Time" each shift from 2 am to 4 am and 2 pm to 4 pm.
  • Please use your cell phones only in the patient room or outside of the unit.
  • Please respect the privacy of all the patients in the ICU by staying inside your loved one's room during your visit.

The restrooms available for your use are located near each elevator outside of the ICU.

What to Expect

  • Members of our team may rotate on and off the team during the patient's stay. All team members will introduce themselves and let you know what role they have in your loved one's healthcare.
  • The assessment of your loved one's neurological condition and prognosis typically takes several days. We will make every effort to make a timely, accurate and honest evaluation and provide you with any available information.
  • We expect to develop a daily plan of care and discuss this briefly with the family spokesperson during daily rounds.
  • We expect to develop a comprehensive care plan, including transitioning to the next level of care. Again, this will be discussed with the family spokesperson.
  • Should you need additional resources during this difficult time, we can provide social work and spiritual care support.
  • We expect to use the most advanced technology to care for your loved one, which includes brain wave monitoring, imaging tests and robotic telepresence, to name a few. Yet, we want to assure you that these are merely tools to enable us to provide humanistic care for your family member.
  • UCLA is an academic medical center where teaching takes place. You may be seen by several doctors at various levels of training. Your family member may qualify for a novel treatment or study. You may inquire about all of this during our daily rounds.

Safety Guidelines

  • Please designate one family spokesperson or a trusted friend to serve as the patient's advocate. This designated person will be allowed to remain in the room for morning rounds with the Neuro Critical Care team. Rounds are from 8 am to noon daily.
  • For telephone updates, the patient’s last four digits of the Medical Record Number must be used to confirm patient identification. Only the designated spokesperson may call for updates.
  • Fresh flowers, latex balloons, cameras, photography, pets, glass and food are not allowed in the ICU.
  • If you need items from the Nourishment Room or need ice, water or coffee, please ask the staff for assistance.
  • Your loved one will be hooked up to a lot of medical equipment. For patient safety, please do not touch the medical equipment.
  • Please understand there may be times the patient may not feel up to having a visitor.
  • We ask that children under the age of 12 years do not visit unless cleared with the nurse.
  • In the event of an emergency, you may be asked to leave the ICU. If so, please leave promptly.
  • No visitor with cold or flu symptoms or other contagious conditions is allowed in the ICU.
  • If your loved one has been cared for by a physician outside UCLA who would like to contact our ICU physicians, please encourage him of her to do so by calling the numbers provided.

These guidelines are subject to modification according to patient needs.

Quick Reference Guide

Medical Director and Neuro Critical Care Attending
Paul M. Vespa, MD, FCCM
310-267-9448

Neuro Critical Care Attending
Manuel Buitriago Blanco, MD
310-267-9470

Unit Director
Barbara Anderson, RN
310-267-7041

Assistant Unit Director
Agnes Sarmenta, RN
310-267-7694

Nurse Educator
Jennifer Osborne, RN
310-267-7697

ICU Fellows in Training
310-267-7641

ICU Nurse Practitioners
Amanda Severson, RN
Carl Wherry, ACNP
310-267-7040

ICU Social Worker
Darlene McGee-Reed, MSW
310-267-9752