In addition to being the only dedicated women’s hospital in Tarrant County, AWH operates the largest neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Tarrant County as well. Since opening, AWH has cared for over 10,000 babies through the on-site 63-bed NICU. The highly skilled team of professionals care for the sickest babies ranging in age from just 22 weeks gestation to term infants. Although some babies stay only a short time and some stay much longer, the average length of stay in the NICU is between 17 to 20 days.
Parents of newborns who have long stays in the unit often cannot see their child as frequently as they would like, due to work obligations or caring for other children. This challenge creates anxiety and limits the all-important bonding between parent and infant in these initial fragile weeks. Thanks to the generosity of a grant from the Once Upon a Time Foundation, Baylor Scott & White – Fort Worth purchased the Angel Eye Camera System in 2019 to allow parents and families to see and interact with their baby in the NICU via live video streaming and direct, one-way audio. The cameras are mounted on the baby’s bed so families can view their baby 24 hours a day by logging into their secure account no matter their distance from the hospital.
Since June 2011, Andrews Women’s Hospital at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center and NICU Helping Hands have collaborated to provide Project NICU, a family support program within the NICU. Project NICU strives to be a source for reliable information, support and comfort for these families before, during and after the hospital stay. Parents not only have to recover from the often complicated and /or premature birth of their baby, but must also cope with their child’s hospital stay while keeping the rest of their life in order. Project NICU is a family support program within the NICU that expands the support services and level of education provided to parents and family members affected by the hospitalization of a newborn in the NICU. Some of the support activities include Cookies with Santa for NICU families, family support dinners, craft hour and lunch on Thanksgiving Day. Last year, the full-time NICU Helping Hands full-time Project NICU Facilitator, funded by the foundation, worked with over 900 Baylor Scott & White All Saints Antepartum and NICU families Project NICU is provided to free of charge to NICU patients and their families. These services are made possible by philanthropic gifts made through Baylor Scott & White All Saints Health Foundation.
Amy Adkins, President Amy.Adkins@BSWHealth.org817-922-1919
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Click the link below to be directed to the donation page where you can make a tax-deductible donation to support the work the NICU at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center.
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