Tight spaces between baby areas meant nurses had to navigate between parents. Specialized equipment could be brought in as needed.
In this fourth post leading into Alyssa’s November 17th birthday celebration, I take a break from the tears to instead highlight the urgency of this call to action.
My last three posts have:
1) described being pregnant and giving birth to Alyssa;
2) shared a glimpse of what it was like to ride a rollercoaster of hope during her 20-day lifespan, and;
3) shown that while saying goodbye was heartwrenching, it offered moments of transcendent beauty — and those are the moments we hold onto most tightly in her memory.
Since Alyssa’s only home was in the NICU at SickKids, it was and will always be very special to us. But hospital design teams objectively describe it as outdated, crowded, and unable to meet today’s standards of infection control.
Each year, SickKids Hospital accepts hundreds of newborns that are so sick they need highly specialized skills, expertise and equipment to get a better chance at a strong start in life. The NICU is one of the busiest in Canada and treats 800-1000 newborns per year. In 2003, the role of the Neonatal Transport Team was expanded to include the transport of infants of up to two years of age.
SickKids is a leading hospital that attracts trainees from all over the world, but the NICU is totally out of date. There is a space of about 4 inches between patient areas, while the accepted standard for infection control is 8 feet!
What is Needed?
SickKids has identified the following clinical area transformation requirements for the Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU).
Did you know:
- Due to medical advances, babies born as early as 22 weeks and weighing as little as 450 grams are surviving more often.
- These children need specialized care, as they are highly susceptible to infections, sensitive to noise, and dependent upon technology to breathe and moderate their body temperature.
- In the GTA, fragile babies with additional medical challenges that require surgery or sustained life support can only be treated at SickKids.
- The 34-bed NICU at SickKids is one of the busiest in Canada, running at capacity most days and providing leading-edge care to more than 570 critically-ill babies each year.
- And yet it is out-of-date, crowded, noisy and cannot easily accommodate current technologies, infection control standards, or the one thing all newborns need most: their parents.
- With four to six patients to a room, each encircled by equipment—monitors, diagnostic tech, ventilators, central lines—parents are given a rocking chair in a taped off area and noise-canceling headphones to create privacy.
- The average length of stay in the NICU is 14.5 days, but it’s not uncommon for families to stay for months.
Mary trying to calm Alyssa while the nurse recorded her weight. The lack of space and the need for procedures and diagnostics meant that there was no place for parents to sit or sleep beside their critically ill newborn, and larger diagnostic technology could not be brought in but rather Alyssa had to be prepped and stabilized for transport to each appointment.
What the new, state-of-the-art building will provide:
- Premature and critically-ill babies and their families the environment they need to properly heal and grow.
- Large, comfortably furnished private rooms for every patient and their family will encourage bonding, reduce parental stress and infection risks, and enable better health outcomes.
- An expanded unit with 23 more beds will ensure capacity to accommodate more critically-ill babies and their families.
- Added space, modular walls and flexible electrical wiring so lifesaving equipment doesn’t get in the way of families and staff, and the unit can adapt as future medical interventions and treatments change.
- Smart window glass for precise light and temperature control.
- Diagnostics will come to the bedside so fragile patients don’t have to be moved.
For more information about the vision and commitment required to unleash the full potential of SickKids Hospital, please visit www.fundthefight.ca.
Newborn babies will have a better chance at a strong start via the new 57-bed NICU, AND your donation will also address issues where ceiling height, HVAC systems and space are restricting the hospital’s ability to adapt to advances in critical care technology.
While natural light is a positive feature of a healing environment, blazing sunshine through outdated windows can cause babies to overheat and adds one more variable – an inconsistent ambient temperature – for overworked nurses to manage.
By donating today, whether to the Alyssa Rae Johnson Foundation at SickKids Hospital, to another Canadian CMN Hospital (which lands locally, as it funnels by postal code) or to your local CMN Hospital in the United States, you help Miracle the Motorcycle’s dreams come true by helping sick and injured children get back to the important business of just being KIDS!
The fundraising flash mob, where we asked everyone to give 20 dollars for Alyssa’s birthday, was a tribute to NICU staff and also a promise to them. We vow to always have their backs, respect their expertise and do our utmost to provide the infrastructure they need to do their important work.
Also, did you know that November 17th happens to also be World Prematurity Day? Let’s hit that donate button, send our $20 and proudly share our good deed. If you know you won’t be online on November 17th, there is nothing stopping you from donating NOW, while you are here.
Keep the conversation going! Make this your profile picture for the weekend, let everyone know that #20for20 means ALL THE COOL KIDS ARE DONATING $20 :), and share the link: www.MotorcycleforMiracles.com/DONATE.
Don’t forget to add the hashtags #Love4Alyssa and #Love4____, filling in the blank with the name of someone special to you, in whose honour you would like to dedicate this birthday gift to Alyssa. In recognition of World Prematurity Day, it may be someone you know who was a preemie or had a preemie. Or it may be any child or family who has been touched by the care received at their Children’s Miracle Hospital.
Let’s hear it for NURSES! Have a look:
Thank you for sticking with me throughout these posts. Your interest and attention mean the world to us and your comments have been uplifting. Finally, thank you for putting your money where the miracles are. Know that you are making a difference. On behalf of the Johnson and Schroeder families, and as Alyssa’s Mom, I say on behalf of our angel, I love you and I love that you donated.
~Mary