Ribbon cutting for renovated NICU family room at Saint Francis Medical Center – KBSI Fox 23 Cape Girardeau News

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – Saint Francis Health System celebrated the opening of its renovated NICU family room with a ribbon cutting Tuesday morning.

The new NICU family room is designed to be a space in the hospital where families of critically ill infants can take a break from the stressors of a long hospital stay.

The room includes snacks, drinks and a play area for children with siblings in the NICU. It is equipped with chairs that can be converted into beds as well as screens for greater comfort.

The NICU Family Room is located in the Women’s and Children’s Pavilion at Saint Francis Medical Center. He is in the region’s largest Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), between Memphis and St. Louis.

It is an 18-room, 36-bed Level III NICU. Hundreds of families pass through its doors every year.

Andi Hilburn-Vaini, community partner and local McDonald’s owner/operator, along with members of the Saint Francis team, including President and CEO Justin Davison; Foundation Executive Director Stacy Huff; Debby Sprandel, head nurse; Lanae Romann, Director of Nursing – Maternal and Child Health, and others spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“These families often have to leave the comfort of their homes for weeks to be near their child, and we are thrilled to be able to offer them a home away from home to nap, do laundry, connect to a laptop, take a snack. or coffee, or just taking a break in a calm environment during such a stressful time,” Huff said.

The project was made possible by a $22,000 grant presented by local McDonald’s owner/operator Andi Hilburn-Vaini to the Saint Francis Foundation through the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Tri-State.

“One of the best parts about owning local McDonald’s restaurants is the positive impact we are able to make in our communities,” said Hilburn-Vaini, owner/operator of local McDonald’s. “Every time you visit one of our restaurants, you have the opportunity to support RMHC and local projects like the NICU Family Room.”

Through programs like Round-Up for RMHC, donation boxes, Happy Meal recipes and more, McDonald’s guests support the Ronald McDonald House Charities every day.

In 2023, the 28 McDonald’s Hilburn-Vaini’s restaurants in southern Missouri raised $290,134 for the charity!

The original NICU family room at Saint Francis was also funded through an RMHC grant presented by McDonald’s nearly 20 years ago.

The evolution of maternal health care and the needs of local families presented an opportunity for improvement. These included moving the space to make it more convenient for families with babies in the NICU, as well as design improvements to make the space more welcoming and functional, as well as new furniture to ensure the comfort of families.