The Vermont Chapter is partnering with Vermont Children’s Hospital at Fletcher Allen Health Care to implement a family support program for the Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU). March of Dimes NICU Family Support provides information and comfort to families with an infant in the NICU. NICU Family Support produces custom programs tailored to the local needs of mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents and extended family of newborns admitted to the NICU. This program provides a March of Dimes NICU Family Support Specialist who is there face-to-face with frightened and overwhelmed parents during the NICU hospitalization, during the transition home, and in the event of a newborn death or the gradual acceptance of long-term disability. NICU Family Support also includes professional development that provides support and educational opportunities to NICU staff and results in enhanced family-centered practice. All together - staff, volunteers and resources – guide families through the maze of difficult experiences they will encounter because their baby has been born sick.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.
It is estimated that 10 percent of all newborns require some level of intensive care. Each year approximately 400 newborns stay in Vermont Children’s Hospital NICU, some for hours and some for months.
The idea for March of Dimes NICU Family Support grew out of an effort in 2000 to develop bereavement materials to support families who had suffered a miscarriage or newborn loss. During discussions with these families, it became evident that the NICU experience, itself, was incredibly painful. Families expressed a need for more support and information during that time. Further exploration revealed that there were no coordinated efforts that focused on supporting families in NICUs. March of Dimes then took the lead in supporting families during their birth crises, and March of Dimes NICU Family Support was born. As of December 2007, the March of Dimes has been implemented in 61 NICUs across the country. We are now providing information and support to over 45,000 families annually.
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 Vermont financial support is also being provided by the:
