July 9, 2004

WHAT: The annual reunion of "graduates" of UAB's newborn baby ICU

WHEN: 2 TO 4 P.M. SATURDAY, JULY 10

WHERE: First floor lobby of The Kirklin Clinic -- 2000 6th Ave. S.

PARKING: For media is available at loading dock entrance on 5th Avenue - enter through back door and sign in at security desk.

WHO: Four hundred former patients and family members from around the state have been invited to enjoy the festivities. Several of the families who gave birth to multiple children (twins, triplets and quadruplets) are expected to join in the fun. This year's theme is "Under the Bigtop."

WHY: The Regional Newborn Intensive Care Unit (RNICU) and Critical Care Nursery (CCN) reunion is a time for nurses to see the babies they worked so hard to save in a natural family-oriented environment; and a time for parents to reunite with staff they bonded with during their child's stay in the unit. Premature births are difficult to prevent, but for those babies who are born early, medical advances in recent years have led to improved survival rates and better quality of life - even for those who initially are under two pounds. Many of these advances have been pioneered at UAB, where the RNICU/CCN is part of a national network funded by the National Institutes of Health. At the reunion, neonatologists from the UAB department of pediatrics will join nurses, social workers, chaplains and other staff members to witness the fruits of their labor, renewing acquaintances with the former preemies, some of which are adults now.