Making Miracles One Volunteer at a Time
The Pediatric services and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Greenwich Hospital help hundreds of families bring their Babies and children home healthy. Kristan Zimmer shares many ways to help the tiniest of people.
MISSION
While they are but a small part of the hospital’s overall mission of supplying medical care to lower Fairfield and Westchester counties, the Greenwich Hospital pediatric services and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) aim to meet the needs of the hospital’s smallest patients with state-of-the-art care. “The support I got from the neonatal unit was amazing,” says Deborah Wood, a registered nurse at Greenwich Hospital’s NICU who said she never fully understood the value of the care she was giving until she had three children in the NICU. “For my whole life, whether I work there or not I will forever be tied to the NICU.” The Pediatric Center at Greenwich Hospital serves children newborn to 18 years old who have no medical insurance, are underinsured or fall within government poverty guidelines. The center serves more than 4,000 children a year. The Pediatric Specialty Center serves about 100 children a month with needs ranging from cardiology to psychiatry. Doctors and nurses at Greenwich Hospital’s NICU treat about 300 babies a year born under serious and often life-threatening conditions.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
In 2008, Greenwich Hospital dedicated its expanded NICU, made possible through a gift from the Steven A. and Alexandra M. Cohen Foundation. The NICU is named in memory of Zachary Archer Cohn. Dana and Greg Rogers of Greenwich made a special gift to establish a NICU Family Room that offers privacy and respite to parents who have infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. The Family Room was the brainstorm of Dana Rogers and Maureen Bonanno, who became friends when their children Ben and twins Nicholas and Mia shared the NICU for months. The Pediatric Outpatient Center has received annual operating support since 2005 from The Tudor Foundation, which awards grants for education and human services with an emphasis on children and youth services.
MOST NEEDED
If you have had a child in the NICU at Greenwich Hospital you can be of most help by volunteering through the Tender Bridges mentoring program to support other parents going through a similar situation. The hospital has a very limited number of medical volunteer positions available in the pediatric wing and no positions available in the NICU. However, there are myriad ways of helping provide the right equipment and amenities to the children.
WAYS TO GIVE
Time To Party | Under the Stars is the hospital’s major annual fund-raiser to benefit the NICU. This year, it’s expanding to include the entire pediatrics wing. Proceeds from the event, coordinated by the parent volunteer group Families for Greenwich Hospital, benefit NICU and pediatric programs at Greenwich Hospital. Regardless of how much time or money you have to give, there are opportunities to help. Stephanie Ashley, director of special events for Greenwich Hospital’s Development Department, said the event committee for Under the Stars welcomes any volunteer who contributes as little or as much time as he or she can. The committee meets monthly. This year it started in January. Have a contact for a great live or silent auction prize? Get them in touch. Do you have a background in event planning? Public relations? Floral arrangements? Catering? Office management? Help plan the décor, music, food or overall theme for the party or lend your phone or organizational skills and coordinate volunteers from the office.
Wish List | Each department at Greenwich Hospital has an continually changing wish list of equipment and supplies the department needs or would like to give patients, but can’t afford (greenhosp.org/support_annualreport.pdf). For those who don’t have time to volunteer but would prefer to give something more tangible than money, purchasing one of the items off the wish list is another option. The items can range in price from $15 to $60,000. For example, as of this writing, among the NICU and pediatric items are infant Panda Bed Warmers at $35,000 each. These delivery room beds keep babies warm while receiving their initial care after birth. Also on the list are hand knit blankets and hats for NICU babies at $50 each; pediatric comfort kits at $15 each including crayons, scissors and coloring pages to entertain children; built-in wall thermometers at $8,000 a piece that allow emergency staff to take a temperature at a moment’s notice; and a GlideScope for $40,000 designed to allow doctors to see the airway as they put a breathing tube in place for a patient.
Tickets Please | With kids, their after-school activities, work and volunteer commitments, it’s difficult for many of us to find time to give. Sometimes, when we do have an evening free we just need a few minutes of fun. Stephanie Ashley, director of special events for Greenwich Hospital, said taking time for a night (or day) out can be helpful, too. Buying a ticket to the annual Under the Stars event held 7 p.m., July 16 at The Belle Haven Club benefits the pediatric and NICU programs at the hospital. The night includes dinner, dancing (with live music from PJ Pacifico) and live and silent auctions. Buying a ticket to Serendipity’s first summer festival, planned from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 26 at The Delamar Hotel can help, too. The circus-themed event will feature music, games, entertainment, a fashion show and food. Tickets are $15 for children, $20 for adults. Children two and younger get in free. A percentage of the proceeds benefit pediatric services and the NICU at Greenwich Hospital.
CONTACT
For information, call Stephanie Ashley, director of special events, at 203-863-3860 or e-mail Stephanie.Ashley@GreenwichHospital.org; for tickets, call Jackie Hvolbeck at 203-863-3863 or e-mail Jackie.Hvolbeck@GreenwichHospital.org. *