In celebration of Prematurity Awareness Month, Miller Children’s Hospital’s March of Dimes Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Family Support program hosted “Every Baby Has a Story,” a community event which featured information on preventing premature births, grateful patients, and representatives from community agencies. The event was led by Robert Rowe, active volunteer with the March of Dimes NICU Family Support Program, who shared his own story of his twins Madison and Dylan, who spent two months at the hospital’s NICU.
The Rowes had the support from the entire NICU staff, including social worker Erica Quijada-Barrera, MSW who is now the March of Dimes NICU Family Support specialist. The March of Dimes NICU Family Support Program at Miller Children’s Hospital is the first such initiative in the state of California. The program is aimed to alleviate the emotional distress and confusion common to families whose baby is born early or with another medical condition.
