The Huggies No Baby Unhugged program is awarding seven $10,000 grants to help support or establish volunteer hugging programs at hospitals nationwide. The programs improve developmental outcomes for babies in neonatal intensive care units.
Huggies has awarded $250,000 in grants to 25 hospitals since the No Baby Unhugged program launched in 2016. The grants allow hospitals to invest in volunteer training and recruitment, hugger chairs and educational materials for volunteers.
Hugging programs train volunteers to hold, rock and soothe babies who are premature or medically fragile. The huggers help NICU patients reach positive outcomes, including weight gain, stress reduction, vital sign stabilization, improved sleep and language development.
The seven hospitals receiving grants in September 2018 are:
1. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston
2. Children's Hospital of Wisconsin at Fox Valley (Neenah)
3. John Muir Health, Walnut Creek (Calif.) Medical Center
4. Palm Beach Children's Hospital at St. Mary's Medical Center (West Palm Beach, Fla.)
5. Sanford Medical Center Fargo (Fargo, N.D.)
6. St. John's Regional Medical Center (Oxnard, Calif.)
7. University of Maryland Children's Hospital (Baltimore)
Hospitals interested in consideration for the next round of grants ($10,000 per hospital) can apply on the on the Huggies Healthcare website by Oct. 22.