Year after year, families return to see each other and their care teams
It was a circus Saturday as care teams from UCHealth’s Poudre Valley Hospital and Medical Center of the Rockies reunited with children who began their lives as premature or critically ill infants at those hospitals.
More than 500 people attended the circus-themed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Nursery Reunion at PVH. Children played with each other and enjoyed face painting, photo shoots, games and yummy treats, while parents reconnected with other families and the nurses and doctors they got to know so well in their children’s early days.
“Our families return every year to celebrate milestones of their children and create lifelong memories with us. We are so privileged to be a part of their lives,” said Suzanne Ketchem, senior director of women and children’s services at PVH and MCR.
The team of highly specialized physicians and nurses at PVH’s NICU in Fort Collins regularly cares for newborns born from 27 to 44 weeks gestation – and sometimes as young as 26 weeks – as well as those with respiratory problems, infections, low blood sugar and jaundice.
The expert team at MCR’s special care nursery in Loveland cares for newborns born between 34 and 36 weeks who may need help breathing, regulating their temperature and feeding.
About UCHealth
UCHealth is an innovative, nonprofit health system that delivers the highest quality medical care with an excellent patient experience. With more than 23,500 employees, UCHealth includes 12 acute-care, full-service hospitals and hundreds of physicians across Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska. With University of Colorado Hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus as its academic anchor and the only adult academic medical center in the region, UCHealth is dedicated to providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. With more than 150 clinic locations, UCHealth pushes the boundaries of medicine, providing advanced treatments and clinical trials and improving health through innovation.