Multi-Site NICU Read-a-thon

September 2020 Read-a-thon was Success!

See below for more information on the inaugural event and stay tuned for the next annual read-a-thon in September 2021.

Read-a-thon Highlights:

39 NICUs participated in a multi-NICU read-a-thon to celebrate and encourage shared family reading and improve the NICU experience during this difficult and isolating time of COVID-19!

See the map below for the NICUs that participated in the September 2020 read-a-thon.

Read-a-thon NICUs!

• Advocate Children's Hospital Oak Lawn

• Akron Children's Special Care Nursery at St. Joseph's

• Baylor Scott and White Medical Center McKinney

• Baylor University Medical Center Dallas

• Beacon Children's Hospital

• Carle Foundation Hospital

• Cedars-Sinai

• Dublin Methodist Hospital Neonatal Special Care Unit; Nationwide Childrens'

• Emory Decatur Hospital

• HCA Clear Lake

• Humber River Hospital

• Inova Loudoun

• Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children

• Medical Center of Aurora NICU

• Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center

• Mercy Health Saint Mary's

• Mercy Kids NICU - St. Louis

• Mott's Children's Hospital

• OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois (University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria)

• Monmouth Medical Center

• Presbyterian Hospital

• Providence St. Vincent Medical Center

• Rady Children Hopstial of San Diego

• Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital

• Randall Children's Hospital

• Rochester General Hospital

• Rose Medical Center

• Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend

• Saint Lukes Plaza

• Salem Hospital NICU

• Sanford USD Medical Center

• Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center

• St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital NICU

• St. Mary's Hospital

• St. Vincent Healthcare, SCL Health

• Swedish American Hospital NICU

• UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital

• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

• University of Vermont Medical Center

Read-a-thon Winners:

These hospitals were identified as the winners by having the most reading sessions, adjusted for NICU size and read-a-thon length.

First Place: 

Emory Decatur Hospital 

Second Place:

University of Vermont Medical Center

Third Place:

Rochester General Hospital

What's a multi-NICU read-a-thon?

A NICU read-a-thon is a friendly reading competition between NICUs. Our read-a-thon’s goals are to encourage family reading, support infants and families, and build NICU morale. Hospitals compete with each-other for the greatest family engagement and the winning hospitals will receive prizes.

Our BWB team provides all participating NICUs with a process guide detailing how to organize a read-a-thon, providing reading tracking sheets/raffle tickets, family and healthcare provider information sheets, bookmarks, prize suggestions and more! 

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Learn more about how reading aloud with babies beginning in the NICU supports infant brain development, promotes family bonding, and reduces stress here.  

Quotes from NICU families and healthcare providers:

• “Reading to my NICU baby never crossed my mind before BWB came to our room” - NICU Family

• “Asa bilingual family, being able to read books in Spanish and English to my baby was incredible. To this day, he loves to snuggle in for a story. At 2 years old, he is still choosing books he received from the NICU.” - NICU Family

• “NICU Reading has encouraged families to be an active part of their child's care.” - NICU Nurse

• “What a great idea to use the fun of reading to children and bring it into the NICU so parents can start reading during this important time of growing.” - NICU Nurse

• “Reading in the NICU gives families a way to help their baby and have a positive, "parent-like" NICU experience.” - NICU Nurse

Our BWB team is available to support your work and answer questions along the way! Email us at babieswithbooks@gmail.com

To learn more about BWB and NICU reading, see our poster on our NICU reading program from the Vermont Oxford Network Annual Quality Congress