Connecticut programs

Prematurity is the leading cause of newborn death and many lifelong disabilities. More than half of premature births occur for unknown reasons. The March of Dimes is funding research to find the causes of prematurity and ways to address them.

NICU Family Support aims to enhance emotional support and resources for families with premature infants in neonatal intensive care. It also addresses the goals of the Prematurity Campaign of raising awareness and decreasing the incidence of premature birth by reaching women who are at greatest risk of preterm birth.

The University of Connecticut Health Center houses the first March of Dimes NICU Family Support program in Connecticut. This program provides information, educational materials and videos for parents of infants in the Newborn Intensive Care Nursery in an effort to further explain the neonatal nursery experience. It gives the staff and families an opportunity to complement existing services at UConn by adding new emotional and informational supports. Over 500 families in crisis are touched by this program each year.

Highlights of the program include Parent-to-Parent support, a parent care kit, programs for families such as scrapbooking and holiday pot lucks, a resource room with computer access and much more. A March of Dimes Support Specialist meets with each family upon entry into the NICU and provides additional information and resources.

For more information please visit the CCMC NICU at UConn Health Center.

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