Hi everyone. I know it’s been a while since I posted here, but I’ve been very busy with work and trying to advance my career in education and this has been very time consuming. More on this another time…

I’m very excited to share my article in May’s Neonatology Today, titled “NICU Volunteer Coordinators Are Indispensable“, advocating for paid NICU Volunteer Coordinators to support parents, be a liaison between families and medical professionals, provide educational services for parents and more. I worked on this with Deb Discenza of Preemie World and the one and only Dr. Mitchell Goldstein of Loma Linda University Health. 

You can read the article by clicking HERE.

The role of a NICU Volunteer Coordinator is a position that I have some experience with, although on a much smaller scale, to my disappointment. A number of years ago I created a NICU parent mentor program at my daughter’s former NICU. This program has been very successful and a wonderful resource for families. Our mentors walk the NICU floor and speak to parents at their baby’s bedside. We mostly listen to their fears and frustrations, and provide resources and advice from our own lived experiences having had a baby in the NICU for an extended period of time. Listening is the critical part. We also try our best to celebrate various awareness days in the NICU, including World Prematurity Day, NICU Awareness Day, World Mental Health Day, as well as recognition days for staff, including NICU Nurses Day, National Doctors Day and more. In addition to scheduling and training our mentors, we assist in planning the NICU Reunion. All of these things are done on a volunteer basis and it would behoove hospitals to have an official coordinator position for more effective planning and execution of these important activities for families and staff. NICU nurses and physicians will also benefit when there is a coordinator available to take on various support tasks, thus increasing the time for medical professionals to work on saving lives. 

Please scroll down to PAGE 33 to read our article and share this out with your communities to encourage more hospitals to create a position of a NICU Volunteer Coordinator.  I attached a few photos of excerpts from our article. 

Again, you can read the article by clicking HERE.

As always… thank you for following me, reading my posts and sharing those posts that speak to you, so that we can continue to partner in improving maternal and neonatal health care for all families.

Until next time.