QOL with Community Outreach: HCA University Hospital NICU Family Support

Parents of infants treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at hospitals frequently suffer from higher rates of depression and anxiety than the general population and often face challenges bonding with their infants. Raquel Garcia SLP, CCC-SLP, CNT, BCS-S, associate professor in NSU’s Speech Language and Pathology Department, was awarded a Quality-of-Life grant with the goal of improving parent-child attachment and reducing parental stress, titled “Tiny Tots Transition to Home: A Pilot program to improve developmental and mental health outcomes in NICU infants and their families”.

 

 

Along with Co-PI Alicia Fernandez-Fernandez PT, DPT, Ph.D, CNT, professor in NSU’s Physical Therapy Department, and Daphna Barbeau, MD, medical director of Neonatal Neurodevelopment at Envision Health and HCA University Hospital, the Pilot program is a collaboration between the HCA University Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and several colleges within the NSU Health Professions Division (HPD), including the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences.

 

Leaning on the expertise within the collaboration, the program has introduced regularly scheduled, in-person education sessions to a cohort of parents of NICU infants. The educational sessions are supported by many NSU faculty members, including Lorraine Breffni Ed.D., Assistant Dean of the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, covering topics in understanding temperament, infant soothing strategies, healthy sleep habits, etc. The interactive nature of the educational sessions helps to facilitate dialogue and encourage parent-led peer to peer support. NSU collaborators have shown optimism in future collaborations with the HCA University Hospital NICU for more family support programming.