| Neonatology:
Continuously Making Miracles Happen for the Tiniest of Babies |
Success is the best word to describe Bronx-Lebanon’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; success for the countless number of lives that have been saved; success in providing the highest quality state of-the-art medical services, and success, in terms of the many
neonatal graduates who return as young adults to simply say thank you to the staff.
Sometimes, it is the little victories that make the difference. Other times, it is the smallest of patients that create the largest challenges–that is when the Neonatal ICU team is called into action. Its 99% survival rate in saving babies that weigh as little as one pound at birth is among the highest in the nation. “We have saved thousands of babies throughout the years. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that, because of our efforts, they can live life to the fullest as healthy young adults,” stated Dr. Jing Ja Yoon, Director, Neonatology.
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Bronx-Lebanon serves one of the highest risk populations for premature births in the United States, and the number of low birth weight babies born in the community is more than one and a half times the national average.
When one considers these factors and
the many other challenges it faces, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit’s accomplishments in reducing neonatal mortality by 80% during the past 15 years (twice the reduction in the Bronx and four times that of the nation) are clearly remarkable.
Currently, there are
40 beds in the NICU, giving the gift of life to 600 newborns each year. |
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“Bronx-Lebanon’s Neonatal staff is continuously making miracles happen and we must do everything possible to support this extraordinary unit,” stated Dr. Eli Seifman, Bronx-Lebanon Board Member.
Dr. Seifman and his wife, Dr. Karen Ann Davis were
instrumental in securing major philanthropic support for the NICU from the Deborah Elkins Foundation Trust. As a result, its nurses station is now named “The Deborah Elkins Foundation Trust Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurses Station.”
One of the many inspiring Neonatal success stories involved the case of an infant baby girl, weighing less than one and a half pounds at birth. She suffered from chronic lung disease. |
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| Neonatal staff members, for almost a year, treated her many medical problems and also counseled the infant’s mother. Eventually, the child was strong enough to be discharged. Five years later, she returned to the unit with her mother to visit the staff. “She was vibrant and full of energy and it gave us a sense of fulfillment that we had such a positive impact on her life,” stated Dr. Yoon. |
