For Immediate Release: September 13, 2007

Contact: Jean Campbell (217) 544-6464, ext. 44307

St. John’s NICU holds five-year reunion

SPRINGFIELD, IL – St. John’s Children’s Hospital is holding its 28th annual reunion for five-year-olds who spent the first days of their lives in the Children’s Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The reunion will be Saturday, September 29 from 2 until 3:30 p.m. in Centennial Hall at St. John’s. Children who were cared for in the NICU during the year 2002, along with their parents and siblings, are invited to join NICU staff and physicians for the celebration. The party will feature refreshments and entertainment for the kids.

“It’s always rewarding to see the children we cared for as infants reach the five-year mark,” said NICU Nurse Manager Pat Titone, RN. “Each and every one of them is a miracle to us.”

The NICU serves a 31-county area and provides specialized care for about 500 infants each year who are suffering from prematurity, respiratory distress, seizures and other illnesses. It is located on the fourth floor of St. John’s Children’s Hospital in the Carol Jo Vecchie Women and Children’s Center.

For more information about the reunion or to make a reservation, call the NICU at (217) 544-6464, extension 30450.