Magee Auxiliary Group Supports Addicted Babies and Fetal Intervention Surgery Equipment
 The Twenty-Five Club of Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC recently decided to fund two neonatal projects enhancing the care of Magee’s tiniest patients. The generous contribution, totaling about $332,000, will fund comfort items for addicted babies and a piece of equipment to enhance fetal intervention surgery.
Some babies begin their lives with an inherited addiction to drugs. Addicted babies experience withdrawal symptoms such as prolonged diaper rash, heightened irritability, increased muscle tension, poor sleep patterns, and difficulty feeding. Volunteers provide specialized comfort to those babies in need.
Through their experiences, baby “cuddlers” noted that The WubbaNub™, a pacifier attached to a small, stuffed animal that serves as an extra set of hands, enables the babies to keep the pacifier in their mouths more easily than a traditional pacifier.
In addition, diaper wipes, which may seem insignificant to many, play a very comforting role in the addictive babies’ lives as well. As the slow process of ridding the toxins from the baby’s body occurs, severe and prolonged diaper rash occurs. Although prescription cream is used, it is ideal to use diaper wipes, which are soft and contain ingredients to soothe the irritated area. Leah Kelly, unit director of Magee’s antepartum unit, extends her thanks to the auxiliary group, “Because of them [The Twenty-Five Club] we are able to provide our babies with these very simple, yet essential items.”
According to Debbie Barbarita, president of The Twenty-Five Club, the goal of the auxiliary group has always been to choose funding for Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC with babies’ needs in mind. “To give money for comfort items for babies born to addicted mothers was something that we felt could have immediate impact on their care and comfort.”
The auxiliary is also funding a piece of equipment to enhance fetal intervention surgery at Magee. The project, led by Stephen Emery, MD, of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, will “…provide life- and health-sparing fetal interventions in pregnancies that, if left untreated, could result in death or disability of the newborn.”
Advances in medical technology enable physicians to see the ill fetus as a patient whose medical condition can be managed. The primary goal of this funding initiative is to acquire the necessary equipment to perform fetoscopic surgery. Dr. Emery hopes to increase awareness of the availability of fetal intervention at Magee to regional providers and offer procedure training for interested nurses as well as add a surgical assistant.
“The fetal intervention surgical suite also seemed to fit into our mission of providing the means to help babies survive,” said Ms. Barbarita. “We were so humbled to be in the position to fund Dr. Emery with the equipment that he needs to perform fetal intervention surgery. We, as a group of 25 women, were thrilled to be able to decide to fund this important surgical suite at the same time we are celebrating our 70th anniversary.”
OPPORTUNITIES FOR GIVING: Neonatal Intensive Care
|
