Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #117439

Michele Provost, MSW, LCSW, Colorado State Chapter, March of Dimes, 1325 South Colorado Blvd, Ste 508, Denver, CO 80222-3320, 303-692-0011, mprovost@marchofdimes.com, Liza G. Cooper, LMSW, Chapter Programs, March of Dimes, 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605, Susan Clifford, Chapter Program Support, March of Dimes, 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605, and Scott D. Berns, MD, MPH, National Office, March of Dimes, 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605.

Each year, over 400,000 babies are admitted to a Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the United States. The hospitalization of a newborn in a NICU can be one of the most overwhelming experiences for a parent. For many families, the distress is compounded by their forced separation from home and community to be with sick newborns transported thousands of miles away. The Children's Hospital of Denver is one of the project sites for March of Dimes NICU Family Support. The Children's Hospital serves all metro Denver hospitals, the entire state of Colorado, and seven surrounding states. In 2003, approximately 40% of admissions were from outside the Denver metropolitan area. In an effort to build a community among these dislocated families, March of Dimes NICU Family Support holds weekly Family Information Meetings that center around an educational topic of interest. Although the families come from diverse backgrounds, cultures, socioeconomic conditions, and residence communities, they share the common experience of the NICU that transcends all other differences. Through the gathering of families, stories and understanding are shared, bonds develop, and a unique and supportive community is formed. This presentation will be the third of a panel and provides a detailed look at Family Information Sessions, what they consist of, and how they have been responsible for the formation of a new and supportive community.

Learning Objectives:

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• Attendees will be able to describe the content, structure, challenges and lessons learned of NICU Family Information Sessions (
• Attendees will be able to delineate the ways in which the community's voice has been incorporated in the development of Family Information Sessions (
• Attendees will be able to identify how Family Information Sessions serve as a support community

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation