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Thursday, October 04, 2007

Families with Babies in Intensive Care to Benefit from New Project

The March of Dimes announces that it has named University Medical Center to implement NICU Family Support ®. March of Dimes NICU Family Support provides information and comfort to families of premature babies and other critically ill newborns being cared for in a Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

“Preparing for a new baby is a time of great excitement,” said Carolyn Yucha, PhD, RN, Chair of the March of Dimes Program Service Committee for the Nevada Chapter. “Families don’t expect anything to go wrong, but about one in eight newborns wind up in a NICU because they are born too soon, too small or with a birth defect. The experience can be overwhelming for families. NICU Family Support ® aims to make the journey through newborn intensive care smoother and less traumatic for families.”

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. It costs society billions of dollars every year. The March of Dimes is also funding research to find the causes of premature birth.

Nationally, March of Dimes NICU Family Support® receives multi-year funding from MedImmune, Inc., Children’s Medical Ventures/Respironics, and Scholastic, Inc. Additional support is provided by Dey, L.P. In Southern Nevada, financial support is also being provided by the Nevada Community Foundation and Wells Fargo.

“The March of Dimes selected University Medical Center as its partner for NICU Family Support ® because of its reputation for excellence and the quality care it provides to babies,” Carolyn Yucha, PhD, RN said. “University Medical Center does incredible work every day to care for sick babies and their families. We want to support their efforts.”

“We are excited to have been chosen as a March of Dimes NICU Family Support® site and are looking forward to this collaborative effort to support parents throughout their stay with us,” Kathy Silver, interim CEO. “This is a wonderful opportunity to work with graduate NICU parents and staff to develop programs specific to the needs of our families.”

Incorporating NICU families into every level of the project, March of Dimes NICU Family Support® addresses the needs of families throughout the hospitalization, during the transition home, and in the event of a newborn death. NICU Family Support also includes a professional development component to provide hospital NICU staff with support and educational opportunities. The project will be led by a March of Dimes staff person who has professional NICU experience or experience as a NICU parent. As advisory committee made up of graduate NICU parents and NICU professionals will be involved in selecting activities and providing direct services to current NICU families. Each NICU family will receive a March of Dimes Parent Care Kit including informational books and materials to record their baby’s milestones.

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at www.marchofdimes.com or its Spanish Web site at www.nacersano.org.

Contact Information:
Cheryl Persinger
(702) 383-3860
Cheryl.Persinger@umcsn.com
University Medical Center
1800 West Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89102