Medstar Georgetown University Hospital NICU
November 2025
Medstar Georgetown University Hospital NICU
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Medstar Georgetown University Hospital
Washington
,
DC
United States
Medstar Georgetown University Hospital NICU Team
The NICU team did far more than provide excellent clinical care; they created moments of meaning, dignity, and love that will forever impact this family.
This extraordinary group of caregivers demonstrated unwavering compassion, teamwork, and innovation while caring for one of our most critically ill patients, a baby born at just 22 weeks' gestation. Today, that tiny patient has grown into a strong, curious, and social 6-month-old and is preparing to be discharged home.
This is a testament not only to medical expertise but also to the human connection this team fosters. During her NICU stay, the baby's mother was simultaneously facing her own battle with an aggressive cancer. Despite her declining health, the NICU staff made it their mission to ensure she could bond with her daughter. When she was too sick to visit the NICU, the team, which always included a fellow/PA, a respiratory therapist, and a nurse, would carefully transport the baby in her isolette, on oxygen support, to the mother's hospital room.
These visits created special moments of love, touch, and connection between mother and child that would not have been possible without the team's dedication, creativity, and support. The team would also do things like deliver pictures of the baby to the mother's hospital room with sweet notes to spark joy in such a difficult time. When her mother sadly passed away, the NICU staff went above and beyond to support this family during an unimaginably difficult time.
Everyone came together and raised funds to purchase developmental toys to enrich the baby's growth well beyond her NICU stay, and also contributed to a GoFundMe that a family member started that will serve as a trust fund to support her future. Recognizing the importance of preparing her support system at home, the staff provided hands-on education to her father, grandmother, and Spanish-speaking nanny. Through multiple classes, both in English and Spanish, each caregiver was empowered with the knowledge and confidence to care for this fragile infant as she transitions home.
This story completely exemplifies the MedStar SPIRIT values: Service through the tireless commitment to both patient and family; Patient First in ensuring the babys health and developmental needs were always prioritized; Integrity in honoring the mothers wishes; Respect in the way they cared for the entire family unit; Innovation in finding safe ways to bring the baby to her mother; and Teamwork in how physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and all of the ancillary staff united around one shared goal to give a family precious time together and set the child up for a bright future.
The NICU team did far more than provide excellent clinical care; they created moments of meaning, dignity, and love that will forever impact this family. Their compassion and commitment are the essence of what the DAISY Award represents.
This is a testament not only to medical expertise but also to the human connection this team fosters. During her NICU stay, the baby's mother was simultaneously facing her own battle with an aggressive cancer. Despite her declining health, the NICU staff made it their mission to ensure she could bond with her daughter. When she was too sick to visit the NICU, the team, which always included a fellow/PA, a respiratory therapist, and a nurse, would carefully transport the baby in her isolette, on oxygen support, to the mother's hospital room.
These visits created special moments of love, touch, and connection between mother and child that would not have been possible without the team's dedication, creativity, and support. The team would also do things like deliver pictures of the baby to the mother's hospital room with sweet notes to spark joy in such a difficult time. When her mother sadly passed away, the NICU staff went above and beyond to support this family during an unimaginably difficult time.
Everyone came together and raised funds to purchase developmental toys to enrich the baby's growth well beyond her NICU stay, and also contributed to a GoFundMe that a family member started that will serve as a trust fund to support her future. Recognizing the importance of preparing her support system at home, the staff provided hands-on education to her father, grandmother, and Spanish-speaking nanny. Through multiple classes, both in English and Spanish, each caregiver was empowered with the knowledge and confidence to care for this fragile infant as she transitions home.
This story completely exemplifies the MedStar SPIRIT values: Service through the tireless commitment to both patient and family; Patient First in ensuring the babys health and developmental needs were always prioritized; Integrity in honoring the mothers wishes; Respect in the way they cared for the entire family unit; Innovation in finding safe ways to bring the baby to her mother; and Teamwork in how physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and all of the ancillary staff united around one shared goal to give a family precious time together and set the child up for a bright future.
The NICU team did far more than provide excellent clinical care; they created moments of meaning, dignity, and love that will forever impact this family. Their compassion and commitment are the essence of what the DAISY Award represents.