Community Leaders Tour Model Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Huntington HospitalSeptember 30, 2005 |
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| (PASADENA, CA)– More than a dozen government and community leaders today toured Huntington Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), considered the most comprehensive and leading edge facility of its type in the region. The event was organized by First 5 LA, which in 2002, made a five-year $1.5 million grant to the hospital's Neonatal Development Intervention Follow-Up (NDIF) program. "This facility and the intervention follow-up program provides a continuum of care that enables babies born prematurely or with complications not only to live, but thrive for years to come," said LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who is the incoming chair of First 5 LA. This program is truly a model for ensuring that LA County's children get the very best possible start in life," said Evelyn V. Martinez, Executive Director of First 5 LA., a child advocacy non-profit organization that invests public funds to improve the lives of children pre-natal to age five in LA County. First 5 LA was created by voters and funded by state tobacco tax revenue to champion health, education and safety issues benefiting young children and families. Participating in the tour with Supervisor Antonovich were other elected officials, such as State Senator Jack Scott, State Assemblymember Judy Chu, Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, and Pasadena City Council Members Joyce Streator and Victor Gordo. Community leaders present included John Hatakeyama, Deputy Director, Children's System of Care, LA Co. Dept. of Mental Health and First 5 LA Commissioner; Gaby Flores, Office of U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff; Dr. Saied Jacob, President, Active Minds; Stephen Guerrero, Vice President, Active Minds; Dr. Clayton Patchett, President, LA Co. Medical Association; David Pruitt, Vice President of Public Affairs, LA Co. Medical Association; Cindy Harding, Director of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health Programs, LA Co. Department of Public Health; and Dr. Ricardo Liberman, Medical Director –Neonatology, Huntington Hospital. The NICU is the only such facility in the San Gabriel Valley to offering extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) nitric oxide and advanced diagnostic and treatment techniques, including neurosurgery for babies born prematurely or with complications. Onsite social workers assist families with emotional and financial issues, as well as the transition to home. Through the First 5 LA grant, NDIF has served 419 infants (336 families due to multiple births) and made more than 1,200 home visits to families. The visits are made by Debbie Larson, a certified nurse practitioner and Maggie Reitmeyer, an infant developmental specialist. The home visits occur shortly after discharge, at four months after the baby's due date, and every six months through age three. The home visits continue annually from three to five years. "During our home visits, we perform assessments that help identify early on any developmental delays or interventions necessary for the babies," said Reitmeyer. "We also review the First 5 Kit for New Parents and share other pertinent information to promote early literacy and healthy emotional, mental, and physical development." According to Larson, children born prematurely or with complications often experience developmental delays and have health issues, such as vision impairment, compromised immune systems or lung disease. "We are so grateful for all the wonderful care we received—and still receive from Huntington Hospital," said Susan Treptow of Glendale, whose 2-year old daughter, Katie, who is an active toddler, but still needs special care due to lung disease, compromised immune system, and delayed oral development. "When she was in the NICU, we got everything she needed, and we have continued to get everything she's needed through the home visitation program," said Treptow. "When you're in the hospital, they take care of everything, but without this program, we wouldn't have known where to start once we got home. The home visits really helped us to get her the speech and occupational therapy that she needed to thrive." According to Larson, the goal is to ensure that every child is ready for kindergarten by age five. About 15 percent of the families in the program are Spanish-dominant, and most families live in Los Angeles County, although follow-ups are made in San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange and Ventura Counties. The NDIF grant also allow the hospital to offer parent education, and to purchase four incubator/warmers (known as Giraffes), privacy screens, bedside night stands, breast pumps, and dimmer switches—all designed to promote and support the developmental care of NICU infants. |
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