Rady Children's, Rancho Springs Celebrate 1-Year Anniversary of NICU

It was a little more than one year ago that Rady Children’s and Rancho Springs Medical Center in Murrieta partnered to open southwest Riverside County’s first neonatal intensive care unit.

The occasion is cause is for celebration, which is why recent graduates—premature babies successfully treated at the 11-bed NICU—and their families are invited to attend a reunion party from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14.

“Families will be able to reconnect with the unit’s staff at the event and share their stories,” said Carlos Delgado, spokesman for Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego.

Delgado said more than 550 patients have been treated in the state-of-the-art NICU since it opened in November 2012. The NICU is within the Rancho Springs Women’s Center, a new wing of the hospital that opened in March 2011.

Babies born premature and suffering from the more common problems faced by newborns receive complete, comprehensive services from Rady Children’s doctors and trained nurses, he said.  

“We opened this partnership so families can stay close to home,  so they won’t have to travel an hour to get to San Diego or Loma Linda,” Delgado said.

Saturday’s reunion celebration will be held in the conference room of Rancho Springs Medical Center’s Administration Building, 25500 Medical Center Drive in Murrieta.

Rady Children’s physicians and nurses, Rancho Springs Medical Center staff and community leaders will be on hand to celebrate and visit with former NICU patients and their families who attend.