![]() ![]() It was hard to refuse the project.”Īfter more than a year in progress, the NICVIEW cameras were installed last week. ![]() “When we approached Ronald McDonald House and PNC,” Pfingstler says, “this was an undeniable piece of technology that has such a well-rounded application. In turn, PNC came through with a $20,000 grant that, when combined with the donation from Ronald McDonald House, would facilitate the purchase of eight NICVIEW cameras. “We believed that with our NICU being one of the few in the area, this could be something they might be interested in.” “We knew that PNC in particular wants to support programs that deal with children from infancy to age five,” Pfingstler says. Knowing this, Pfingstler and her team set out to pursue more support. Encouraged by this generosity, Fund Development was also aware of the NICU’s volume: an average of 300 babies admitted per year with the average patient staying eight to 10 days. The first, for $7,500, came from the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mid-Penn Region, Inc., based in Hollidaysburg. Turning to contacts at major foundations, Penn Highlands Fund Development, led by system director Karin Pfingstler, was able to secure funding for the NICVIEW web cameras through grants. “If they can log on and see their baby, it potentially could give comfort to the parents.” “For first-time parents especially, to be away from the baby just wakes you up wondering and worrying: ‘Is my baby ok?’” McCullough explains. Natus states that the 24-hour NICVIEW video streaming service on demand can “reduce the distress and anxiety mothers can feel at being separated from a newborn.” Also, by observing their newborn’s routine in the NICU, parents may adapt their own routine to create a smooth transition to life at home when the infant is discharged from the hospital. ![]() The Fund Development department had recently learned about a crib-side web camera system called NICVIEW, from the medical equipment and software company, Natus. ![]() That’s why in 2019, the Penn Highlands Healthcare Fund Development team saw an opportunity to help families stay connected through the power of technology. “We have a lot of families who have transportation issues,” McCullough says. Known as a level 3 NICU (whose designation means the unit can care for newborns who are acutely ill, premature, or who need advanced ventilator therapy), Penn Highlands transports neonatal patients in by ground and air from the Tri-County region and as far as Clarion County, Indiana, Armstrong County, and Potter County, including Bradford.Īs such, Penn Highlands NICU director Suzanne McCullough, RN, explains that some families have an understandably tough time separating from their newborn when the baby has to stay. Unless you’ve ever had a newborn who needed specialized support, you may not realize that the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Penn Highlands DuBois is the only NICU within a 100-mile radius. Keeping Families Connected: Neonatal Intensive Care Webcams
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