Annual NICU Reunion planned for July 30 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – We’re pleased to announce that the annual NICU reunion is back. It will be held Sunday, July 30, from 10 a.m. to noon, on the back lawn of PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, 3333 RiverBend Drive in Springfield.

This fun-filled, joyous event reconnects NICU alumni -- and their families — with the people who cared for them when they were fragile newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. It is a time for sharing and celebrating how far these children have come after a challenging start.

The reunion was put on pause for the past four years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, it’s back thanks to the hard work and generosity of volunteers, local business owners and Children’s Miracle Network, a program of PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center Foundation.

Highlights this year include:

• Snacks and drinks, courtesy of Costco and Big Foot Beverages
• Slushy drinks, courtesy of Leon’s Party Supplies
• Music and a photo booth, courtesy of Caught in the Act Entertainment
• Face painting
• Free bicycle helmets and fitting by Safe Kids West Oregon
• K-9 dogs with the Springfield Police Department
• Toy helicopter rides by Life Flight Network
• Tabling by numerous community organizations for children and families

“My favorite thing about this year’s event is that most of the resources in Lane County that are for this group of patients and their families will be there,” said Andrew McClain, a NICU registered nurse who has helped organize the reunion.

“These include WIC, WellMama, Lane County Family & Child Health, the Imagination Library and Parenting Now,” he said. “We wanted to focus on making connections with these resources, our hospital, and the families we serve.” 

About the NICU at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend: Sacred Heart’s NICU was established in 1977 to provide highly specialized services to premature or medically fragile newborns. Since then, the unit has had a significant impact on lowering the infant mortality rate in this area. With 36 private rooms for patient families, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Sacred Heart provides Level III care for premature or medically fragile infants born at Sacred Heart or any of several other hospitals in western and southwestern Oregon.

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