Annual celebration for our smallest patients and their families
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (August 18, 2023) – The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Trinity Health Grand Rapids recently held a NICU reunion event to celebrate the lives of the hospital’s smallest patients. More than 150 former NICU patients and their families, along with NICU staff, attended the celebration at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum.
The NICU Reunion is an annual celebration, highlighting how much these children have grown and developed, in large part due to the care they received in the NICU. Neonatal babies are some of the most vulnerable patients cared for at the hospital, often having been born too soon or with complications.
“This is a very popular event because the parents want to show off their NICU ‘grads’ and how far they have come,” said Lynne Horodyski, registered nurse, Trinity Health Grand Rapids NICU.
“As nurses and staff, we develop a bond with these families,” Horodyski continued. “Often, we are caring for their child for up to four months. We have helped them to bond with their baby and learn how to care for them, and have been on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs in their journey to go home. The reunion is such a fun time to be able to celebrate the success, growth and development of these precious lives.”
Trinity Health Grand Rapids NICU is a licensed 15-bed, Levell III NICU, that cares for 200 to 300 newborns on the unit every year. We have successfully cared for babies born at 23 weeks gestation and weighing as little as 11 ounces.
For babies born at a hospital that doesn’t offer NICU services, Trinity Health Grand Rapids NICU provides a specially equipped ambulance, called the NICU Transport, to quickly and safely transfer the baby. The NICU Transport includes breathing support, a fluid-filled warming mattress and one-to-one monitoring with a highly trained NICU transport team.
To learn more about our NICU services, visit our website.
About Trinity Health Michigan
Trinity Health Michigan is a leading health care provider and one of the state’s largest employers. With more than 24,000 full-time employees serving 29 counties, Trinity Health Michigan operates nine hospitals located in Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids, Howell, Livonia, Muskegon, Pontiac and Shelby, and two medical groups. The health system has 2,314 beds and 5,446 physicians and advanced practice providers. With operating revenues of $4.16 billion, Trinity Health Michigan returns $184 million back to their local communities each year. Together with numerous ambulatory care locations, home health and hospice agencies and 23 senior living communities owned and/or operated by Trinity Health, Trinity Health Michigan provides the full continuum of care for Michigan residents. Trinity Health Michigan is a member of Trinity Health, one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the country serving more than 30 million people across 22 states. www.trinityhealthmichigan.org