March of Dimes is giving mothers of babies at Miller Children’s Hospital a special mother’s day by launching Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Family Support–a program designed to help parents through the hospitalization of a newborn. The program provides information and comfort to families of premature babies and other newborns being cared for in the NICU.
“We are excited to have been chosen as the March of Dimes’ NICU Family Support’s first site in California and are looking forward to this collaborative effort to support parents throughout their stay with us,” said Carolyn Steadham, RN, MSN, vice president, nursing, Miller Children’s Hospital. “This is a wonderful opportunity to work with graduate NICU parents and staff to develop programs specific to the needs of our families.”
NICU Family Support addresses the needs of families throughout hospitalization, during the transition home, and when a baby passes on. The project is an important component of the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign, a nationwide effort to address the growing problem of premature birth, which is the leading cause of newborn death and a major cause of serious health problems. The program is sponsored by Farmers Insurance.
“It is when the community comes together–March of Dimes, Miller Children’s Hospital and Farmers–that we have the biggest impact,” said Dani Montague, state director of the March of Dimes California Chapter.
