Contact: Jill Clark, 970-217-7549 (cell)
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – On Saturday, Poudre Valley Hospital will welcome back children who began their lives as premature or critically ill infants in the hospital’s high-level neonatal intensive care unit.
The sixth annual reunion from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. has a Camp NICU theme. Children can play in bounce house; have their faces painted; a professional photographer will capture images of the children; and a healthy lunch will be served. The event will take place at PVH (1024 S. Lemay Ave., Fort Collins) on the east side of the building and in the PVH’s café courtyard on the hospital’s lower level.
“Our physicians and nurses look forward to seeing the children and their families each year,” said Barb Peters, NICU Nurse Manager. “The children grow and change so much. It’s really rewarding to see a child born weighing only a pound grow into a toddler who is running, playing and smiling.”
The staff on the neonatal intensive care unit routinely cares for newborns as young as 28 weeks gestation rather than having them transported to Denver hospitals that offer the same specialized critical care. The PVH Level III unit has cared for approximately 3,000 infants since receiving the high-level designation in 2006.
PVH is the only hospital between Denver and Billings, Mont., that offers Level III care. The designation is one of the highest that can be achieved. Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland has a Level II nursery or Special Care Unit that routinely cares for babies born as early as 34 weeks gestation.
The four neonatologist physicians and six neonatal nurse practitioners who work in PVH’s neonatal intensive care unit are part of the team that provides services to two Denver hospitals — Children’s Hospital and University of Colorado Hospital, which are nationally recognized for the treatment of infants.
Other PVH staff members who provide Level III care — nurses, respiratory therapists, occupational therapists and physical therapists — are extensively trained in neonate critical care. The hospital has state-of-the-art ventilators, cardiac monitors, isolettes and other equipment specially designed to treat tiny, sick infants.
About UCHealth
UCHealth is a Front Range health system that delivers the highest quality patient care with the highest quality patient experience. University of Colorado Health combines Memorial Hospital, Poudre Valley Hospital, Medical Center of the Rockies, University of Colorado Hospital and a network of more than 40 medical clinics into one organization dedicated to health and providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. UCHealth partners with the University of Colorado School of Medicine and numerous community organizations to provide care. Separately, these institutions can continue providing superior care to patients and service to the communities they serve. Together, they push the boundaries of medicine, attracting more research funding, hosting more clinical trials and improving health through innovation.