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St. Luke's Children's NICU Follow-up Clinic

St. Luke's Children's NICU Follow-up Clinic provides continued assessment for many NICU babies after they "graduate" from the unit. Clinic staff members evaluate children's growth and development, ensure access to resources, and coach parents in recognizing and caring for growth or developmental concerns.

Our team includes a behavior and development pediatric physician specialist, developmental specialist, neonatal nurses, social workers, pediatric physical and occupational therapists, speech and language specialists, and child psychologists.

  • Additional NICU Follow-up Locations

Our dedicated staff and visiting specialists bring you the very best in children’s care, close to home.


  • Location & Contact Info

    775 Pole Line Rd. W.
    Suite 302
    Twin Falls, ID 83301
    (208) 814-8780

Providers

  • Pediatric Occupational Therapy

    Biography

    Trisha Barnes, OT has a passion for working with children who have developmental coordination disorder or any impairment in sensory processing, coordination, handwriting, or strength. She also teaches classes for new parents about infant motor development, tummy time, and infant massage.

    Trisha earned her bachelor's degree in occupational therapy from Pacific University. She enjoys teaching babies to enjoy tummy time, watching her kids play soccer, and skiing. 

    Favorite Book: Building Babies Better: Developing a Solid Foundation for Your Child by Roxanne Small.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
  • Pediatric Occupational Therapy

    Biography

    Chantelle Bernier, OTD, OTR/L specializes in infant feeding and developmental disorders. She also works closely with children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, sensory processing disorder, and general sensitivities. She helped develop the Bluebird Program that focuses on fostering supportive interactions for pediatric patients.

    Chantelle is passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of her patients and their families through the understanding of their needs and by providing a compassionate environment where they can succeed in their occupational roles.

    She earned her doctorate in occupational therapy from Pacific University of Oregon and completed her residency in Canada, conducting research and program development related to technology and its impact on children. Chantelle is also an adjunct professor for the School of Occupational Therapy at Pacific University of Oregon.

    Chantelle enjoys traveling, hiking, and learning something from everyone she meets. 

    Favorite Book: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

  • Pediatric Speech Language Therapy

    Biography

    Mindi Carr, MS, CCC-SLP enjoys working with patients in both preschool and adolescent age groups who are experiencing language delays. Because many children with speech delays often have literacy delays as well, Mindi is passionate about early intervention to help develop pre-literacy skills and prevent future literacy challenges. She is certified in the Hanen's It Takes Two to Talk® program and primarily works in outpatient rehabilitation.

    Mindi particularly enjoys working with younger kids and helping them communicate when they have struggled previously. She is inspired by her patients and loves watching both kids and parents experience the rewards of their hard-earned improvements. 

    Originally from Idaho, Mindi earned both a bachelor's degree in communication sciences and a master's degree in speech language pathology from Idaho State University.

    Outside of work, Mindi enjoys living on a farm and caring for her many farm babies.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
  • Nutrition Services for Children

    Biography

    Nichole Cortez, RD is a pediatric dietitian supporting both inpatients in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and outpatients in NICU follow-up and dietitian clinics. She has special interest in nourishing newborns through the first year of life.

    Nichole earned a bachelor's degree from Bastyr University, where she also completed her dietetic internship. She received her master’s degree in nutrition from the University of Kansas Medical Center. She is a veteran of the US Navy.

    In her free time, Nichole enjoys doing anything she can outside, including hiking, running, and gardening. 

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
  • Pediatric Occupational Therapy

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
  • Nutrition Services for Children

    Biography

    Jobeth Kuchar, MS, RD, CSPCC, LD is a registered dietitian who serves children ages 0-17 for a variety of nutrition-related conditions. She has extensive experience in NICU, inpatient, and outpatient pediatric nutrition care. She is a board certified specialist in pediatric critical care and practices in a wide range of areas including infant nutrition, failure to thrive nutrition therapy, healthy eating/weight management, enteral nutrition (tube feeding), food allergies, FODMAP diet, and celiac disease. Jobeth is passionate about working with families to find a nutrition care plan that works for each child.

    Jobeth earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). She completed her internship through UNL focusing on clinical and community nutrition. 

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
  • Neonatal Perinatal Medicine

    Biography

    Jennifer Merchant, MD cares for newborns in St. Luke's neonatal intensive care units (NICU). She also serves as medical director of the St. Luke's Children's NICU Follow-Up Clinic where the growth and development of our highest-risk patients are monitored and supported with early interventions.

    Dr. Merchant provides family-centered care that focuses on optimizing long-term development and health. She is passionate about nutrition in the NICU and its impact on neurodevelopment. To support this interest, she is involved in development of nutrition and feeding protocols as part of a multidisciplinary feeding group. Dr. Merchant has also recently participated in research on low-renin hypertension in neonates. She is also developing of a registry of St. Luke's NICU patients' long-term outcomes to inform continual improvement of our neonatal care.

    Dr. Merchant is a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics. Prior to her current role, she served as assistant medical director of the NICU at St. Luke's Magic Valley.

    In her free time, Dr. Merchant enjoys hiking and camping in Idaho and the Intermountain West and spending time with her husband and three kids.

    Dr. Merchant cares for babies in the NICU at St. Luke’s Boise, Magic Valley, Meridian, and Nampa.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
  • Pediatric Speech Language Therapy

    Biography

    Keri Noll, SLP is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist. She has extensive experience working with infants and children and has a passion for early intervention.

    Keri earned her master's degree from Idaho State University and has worked in both home and hospital settings.

    Availability

    Accepting new patients
     
  • Neonatal Perinatal Medicine

    Biography

    Declan O'Riordan, MD is a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics and is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington.

    Dr. O'Riordan has experience in pediatric emergency medicine and general pediatrics. His research interests include neonatal herpes simplex virus infections, perinatal brain injury, and intrauterine methamphetamine exposure.

    Dr. O'Riordan cares for babies in the NICU at St. Luke’s Boise, Magic Valley, Meridian, and Nampa.

Access Your Mobile Medical Record Anytime, Anywhere

Access Your Mobile Medical Record Anytime, Anywhere

Sign up for a MyChart account today!

With MyChart, you’re able to view test results, contact your provider, request medication refills, schedule appointments and more. We encourage you to sign up for easy access to the tools and information you need to proactively manage your health. You can also set up online proxy access requests for medical records of children, spouses, or dependents.


There's also an easy-to-use MyChart app available for your mobile devices!

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