Kimberly-Clark, the makers of Huggies diapers, awarded a $10,000 grant to Phoenix Children’s Hospital to help provide care to NICU patients through the company’s “No Baby Unhugged” program. The program aims to raise awareness about the benefits of skin-to-skin contact with newborns, which can stabilize heart rates, increase oxygen levels and strengthen immune systems.
With the grant, the hospital was able to add 10 more trained volunteers to hold babies for longer periods and purchase three more hospital-grade rocking chairs for the NICU.
“The ‘No Baby Unhugged’ grant benefits the more than 1,300 babies throughout Arizona and the Southwest that are cared for in our newborn intensive care nursery,” said Kristin Niehoff, clinical manager of the NICU at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. “Our hugging program allows us to have properly trained volunteers who can help alleviate the anxiety parents face when they have a newborn baby that requires intensive care.”