Dr. Stewart Lawrence earns national NICU Hero Award from Hand to Hold and
Mead Johnson Nutrition for outstanding care of premature infants and their families
Awarded for exceptional care of twins girls born prematurely after being diagnosed with rare condition known as twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome,
which affects fewer than 20 percent of identical twins
Boise, Idaho — Esteemed Boise neonatologist Stewart Lawrence, M.D., will be honored as a 2014 NICU Hero by Mead Johnson Nutrition and Hand to Hold, a national nonprofit Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) parent support organization on Friday, September 26, 2014, at 11 a.m. at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center's Family Maternity Center Playground, 1055 N. Curtis Road, Boise, Idaho 83706. Dr. Lawrence practices at Saint Alphonsus with Mountain States Neonatology, an affiliate of Pediatrix Medical Group.
Families from 30 U.S. states nominated neonatal nurses, physicians, and other healthcare professionals who helped make a difference for their preterm or medically fragile newborns. Sophie Carney of Meridian nominated Dr. Lawrence for his compassionate and excellent care following the birth of her twin girls at 25 weeks and six days gestation. Her twins were born shortly after she underwent a procedure to treat a life-threatening fetal condition known as twin-to-twin syndrome, or TTTS.
TTTS is a rare condition that causes one twin to grow larger and another to fail to grow. The condition appears in less than 20 percent of identical twins and occurs when the blood flow through their placental connections becomes unbalanced. One twin does not get enough blood while the other becomes overloaded with too much blood and fluid. Babies who survive TTTS during gestation may face a range of health problems resulting from both TTTS and premature birth. Carney says Dr. Lawrence became her constant source of communication as a NICU team cared for her girls for nearly 20 weeks.
“Dr. Lawrence was involved in their day-to-day care, and he knew the big picture – the overall path to their long-term health. I realize that many people do not get this kind of care. Not only is he paying attention to all of the details, but he also has such a good bedside manner,” Carney says.
“Neonatal healthcare providers know how the trauma of a baby’s NICU stay can affect the entire family and the very real difference family-centered care can make for parents and their baby,” says Kelli Kelley, founder of Hand to Hold and mother of two preemies. The compassionate care Kelley received, and has also seen medical professionals give other parents, is the driving force behind creating the annual NICU Heroes Awards.
The NICU Heroes Award includes a $2,500 donation in the winner’s name to the pediatric healthcare charity of their choice. Dr. Lawrence designated St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to receive his honorarium. St. Jude is a research and treatment facility for catastrophic diseases in children, primarily pediatric cancers.
"As a NICU doctor, I am blessed and gratified to be a member of a healthcare team that includes compassionate and dedicated individuals striving each and every day to build a bridge to carry a family and its tiny baby to a place of health and vitality,” Dr. Lawrence says.
Mead Johnson Nutrition partnered with Hand to Hold to create the NICU Heroes Award to reward the experience, professionalism, support and deep compassion these NICU health care professionals give their patients and their families.
“As a mother to preterm twin toddlers, I was moved by the many inspiring stories of families and healthcare professionals coming together to provide extraordinary care to fragile infants who faced challenging situations during their early days of life,” said Ivonne Monteagudo, senior vice president and general manager, North America and Global Marketing, Mead Johnson Nutrition. “As a world-leading infant nutrition company, Mead Johnson is honored to recognize the dedication of healthcare professionals who perform heroics in NICUs across the country every day.”
“NICU heroes understand that in order for babies to thrive, they must have smart, informed parents who are capable of meeting their child’s needs after discharge,” explained Kelley. “We are grateful for the NICU heroes who reach beyond their job descriptions to provide comfort, understanding and words of encouragement to help parents navigate their NICU journey. Our NICU Heroes strive to integrate parents into the daily care of their baby to ensure they are ready to meet the needs of their medically fragile child.”
About Mead Johnson Nutrition
Mead Johnson, a global leader in pediatric nutrition, develops, manufactures, markets and distributes more than 70 products in over 50 markets worldwide. The company's mission is to nourish the world’s children for the best start in life. The Mead Johnson name has been associated with science-based pediatric nutrition products for over 100 years. The company’s Enfa™ family of brands, including Enfamil® infant formula, is the world's leading brand franchise in pediatric nutrition. For more information, go to www.meadjohnson.com.
About Hand to Hold
Hand to Hold is a community-based, national support program for parents of preemies, babies born with a special health care need and those who have experienced loss due to these or other complications. The nonprofit organization’s vision is to enable a network of families to offer support, comfort and understanding to one another, and to provide them with knowledge, information and resources to ensure the best outcome for their children and family. For more information, go to www.handtohold.org.
About Saint Alphonsus Health System
As a faith-based Catholic ministry and not-for-profit health system, Saint Alphonsus Health System reinvests in the communities we serve, through charity care and other benefits. Our goal is to improve the health and well-being of people by emphasizing care that is patient-centered, physician-led, innovative and community-based. Saint Alphonsus Health System serves the people of southwestern Idaho, eastern Oregon and northern Nevada through these facilities: Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center - Boise, ID; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Nampa, ID; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Ontario, OR; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Baker City, OR; and, Saint Alphonsus Medical Group with primary and specialty care providers at 58 clinic locations, all of which are members of the Saint Alphonsus Health Alliance, a network of over 1400 employed and independent providers. To find out more go to: www.saintalphonsus.org