The Birthing Inn at Inova Loudoun Hospital to Partner with the March of Dimes

Families of Premature and Critically Ill Infants to Benefit from New Project – (June 11, 2009)

WHAT:
Open House for Hospital’s New NICU Family Support Program

Join The Birthing Inn at Inova Loudoun Hospital as we partner with the March of Dimes to launch a new program, NICU Family Support. This program provides enhanced information and support to families of premature and other critically ill newborns. Inova Loudoun Hospital becomes one of only three hospitals in the Commonwealth to offer this program, joining Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children and Henrico Doctors Hospital in Richmond.  Inova Loudoun Hospital’s NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) is an eight-bed, Level IIIA unit.

During the open house, NICU tours will be offered and the following individuals will be available for interviews:

• Anil Sharma, MD, Medical Director, NICU, Inova Loudoun Hospital
• Jennifer Sedlmeyer, Clinical Specialist, The Birthing Inn, Inova Loudoun Hospital
• Lori Gunther, Director of NICU Family Support Site Development, March of Dimes
• Christine Bloom, March of Dimes NICU Family Support Specialist, Inova Loudoun Hospital

WHEN:
Monday, June 15
Noon to 1 p.m.

WHERE:
Inova Loudoun Hospital
The Birthing Inn
44045 Riverside Parkway
Leesburg, VA 20176

WHY:
When families are preparing for a new baby, no one expects anything to go wrong. But every year, approximately 1 in 10 newborns are admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, because they are born too soon, too small or with a birth defect. The hospitalization of a baby in a NICU can be one of the most frightening, confusing and overwhelming experiences a parent can have.  March of Dimes NICU Family Support aims to help the hospital make the NICU experience smoother and less traumatic for the NICU families. The Ladies Board of Inova Loudoun Hospital is providing financial support for the project. Visit the March of Dimes website for more information.

In 2007, Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children was selected by the March of Dimes as the first site in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the second in the Washington, D.C., area to implement NICU Family Support.

Inova Loudoun Hospital, serving Loudoun County for nearly 100 years, is part of Inova Health System, a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research. Inova provides a healthy environment for its patients, families, visitors, staff and physicians by prohibiting tobacco use on its campuses.