Minnesota Neonatal Foundation

Your gift creates health and healing for families and medical staff in the NICU

The Minnesota Neonatal Foundation's mission is to enhance neonatal intensive care through creating a healing, empowering, and connecting experience for patients, family and staff. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) cares for children born with congenital anomalies, genetic conditions, and surgical
concerns. In addition each year roughly 10% of all births occur prematurely, all of which need vital care in the NICU. 

Time spent in an NICU is emotional, frightening, and unfamiliar for families.

On a daily basis, the Minnesota Neonatal Foundation witnesses the complexity of navigating the health system. For mothers in the NICU this complexity can be amplified due to medical trauma and postpartum depression. There are many organizations outside of the hospital walls that are created to support families, but all too often, NICU families in crisis do not have the capacity to reach out for support.

 The Minnesota Neonatal Foundation has created the Parent Navigator Program to support parents during their stay in the NICU and after discharge.

A Parent Navigator is a trained, fellow NICU parent that is a available to meet with families. The goals of the Parent Navigator Program are to provide peer support for NICU parents, empower parents at bedside, and provide connections to community resources.

In addition to the Parent Navigator Program, the Minnesota Neonatal Foundation recognizes the bonds that form between both patients and health care providers AND fellow NICU families. These bonds stretch beyond hospital affiliations and our goal is to bring NICU communities together. 

The Minnesota Neonatal Foundation hosts an annual NICU FAMILY REUNION for any Minnesota NICU patient and family, as well as any NICU staff member.

The NICU Family Reunions are free for all attenders and provide a space for patients, parents and providers to reconnect and remember each NICU journey. It has quickly become our favorite day of the year. 

It is our privilege to both celebrate and support NICU families and the staff that diligently work to provide excellent care.