Santa Clara Kaiser Hospital is going above and beyond to take extra care of its most vulnerable patients.
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is hosting volunteer reading sessions for its preemie babies all week.
Doctors, nurses and parents have been invited to take part in the event happening at NICUs nationwide.
Nurses said it’s a great way to boost brain development and they hope it will encourage parents to continue reading to their babies when they’re out of the hospital.
“Its encouraging social skills and bonding between parents and staff – and the infants as well,” NICU nurse Lindsey Karchem said. “It's also helping decrease stress in what can be perceived as a stressful environment.”
Kaiser calls its NICU nurses the “mama bears” of the hospital. The NICU has won several awards for how it cares for preemie babies, including the NICU Crown Award in 2021.
The nurses who read to the preemies said they love doing it and it’s made the NICU a calmer place.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
