Missoula Hospital Receives Survival Kits for Parents

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - In a moving ceremony recently at Missoula Community Medical Center’s NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), an organization called Jackson Peter Ward Strong delivered a large number of ‘survival kits’ for parents of babies admitted to the unit.

I spoke to neonatologist Dr. Kristin Veneman about the traumatic experience that parents go through when their infant has to be Lifeflighted to the hospital for emergency care.

Community Medical Center NICU Receives Survival Kits for Young Parents

“It's a real shock for a lot of these parents to have a baby admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, because it means something went wrong with the pregnancy or labor and delivery, and the baby ended up being, unfortunately, very sick and needing intensive care,” began Dr. Veneman. “It's a very stressful and traumatic time, and it turns something that should have been a very joyous, happy occasion for the family into something that's very scary.”

Dr. Veneman described the genesis of the Jackson Peter Ward Strong survival kits for parents.

The Ward Family Turned Their Heartbreak into Help for Other Parents

“Jackson Peter Ward was a baby who had a brain injury at birth,” she said. “He had decreased blood flow and oxygen around the labor and delivery in Lewiston, Idaho, and was transferred to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. The mother said she went into the hospital to deliver her full term baby boy, and next thing she knew, he was critically ill, and he was being helicopter Lifeflighted to Sacred Heart, and she only had an overnight bag with her.”

Unfortunately, little Jackson passed away; however, his family turned their tragedy into a service that hundreds of NICU patients’ families need when they get to the hospital.

“To honor Jackson, this mama and her mom started this organization so the parents get these kids that have just basic necessities, like toiletries and Kleenex and even Chapstick, some gum and things like that, and things to keep them occupied too, like a notepad and pen and little puzzles that they can do just to take their mind off things,” she said.

Dr. Veneman Emphasized the Generosity of the Family Providing the Survival Kits

Dr. Veneman said the ceremony at Community Medical Center was an important reminder of how many people really care about young parents in crisis.

“They dropped off 50 kits for moms and 50 kits for dads,” she said. “We have about 60 to 80 transports a year. We had Jackson's mom and Jackson's grandma there and our CEO and some NICU staff there at this ceremony (at Community Medical Center’s NICU).

These kits are provided free of charge to parents with infants who have been transported to the Community Medical Center NICU in Missoula.