MEDIA ADVISORY: Nationwide Childrens Hospital Hosts 2nd Annual Small Baby Reunion

September 8, 2012

WHAT:
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Hosts 2nd Annual Small Baby Reunion 
Small baby graduates celebrate with their families and the NICU staff

WHEN:
Sunday, September 9, 2012
1 to 4 p.m.
*1:30 p.m. best media opportunity  

WHERE:
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Stecker Auditorium
575 S. 18th St.
Columbus, OH 43205
*Parking available in visitor’s parking garage located at the corner of S. 18th St. and Mooberry Dr.; a media relations rep will meet you at this entrance for escort to event location 

WHO:
Small baby graduates, parents, siblings and Nationwide Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) staff

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
More than 200 Small Baby graduates and their families are expected to attend Nationwide Children’s Hospital 2nd annual Small Baby Reunion. The NICU staff will join the celebration as they welcome back the children they once cared for as premature infants. Families will have the chance to share memories with the staff and enjoy activities with their graduates. A member from Nationwide Children’s dental team will also be on hand providing exams for the graduates.

An infant born at <26 weeks gestation is considered a Small Baby. These premature babies have survived tremendous odds at Nationwide Children’s thanks in large part to guidelines developed and tested at the bedside.

The Small Baby Guidelines (SBGs), developed by the neonatology team at Nationwide Children’s, provide a uniform, interdisciplinary approach to the family-centered care of extremely premature babies. The guidelines outline care regarding development, nutrition, cardiovascular functioning, infection and other potential health concerns during the first week of these infants’ lives.

Today, the survival rate at Nationwide Children’s is 84 percent for infants at 22 to 24 weeks gestation thanks in large part to the standardized care that the guidelines provide.

CONTACT PRIOR TO EVENT AND DAY-OF:
Erin Pope 
Nationwide Children’s Hospital 
Marketing and Public Relations
(614) 562-1382

About Nationwide Children's Hospital

Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 14,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.7 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.