NICU Read-a-Thon Results in 800+ Reading Sessions to St. Dominic’s Tiniest Patients
October 02, 2024
JACKSON, Miss. – Studies show that reading to infants supports family bonding and promotes brain development at an early age. That’s why St. Dominic’s NICU joined hospitals worldwide from Sept. 9-19 for the Babies with Books Read-A-Thon.
St. Dominic’s NICU placed 8 out of 244 hospitals worldwide that participated in the Read-A-Thon, with an impressive 830 reading sessions, or an average of 100 reading sessions per baby. St. Dominic’s team members, leaders, and NICU families came together to read to all the NICU babies over the 10-day period. Students from Christ Covenant School in Ridgeland also participated in the event by video recording themselves reading books. These recordings were then played for the babies and counted toward the Read-A-Thon total.
Thanks to generous book donations from the community, over 200 books were donated to the NICU’s Lela’s Library in preparation for the event. Each NICU family at St. Dominic Hospital is gifted a book of their choosing from Lela’s Library, which was established in 2021 in memory of a St. Dominic’s NICU patient named Lela Jo by her parents, Garrett and Alexis Grey. They began donating books to the NICU in 2021, providing enough books so every baby admitted throughout the year would receive one book before being discharged.
As part of the Read-A-Thon celebration, St. Dominic's NICU team also hosted a "Parent Partner" event where parents of former NICU babies and current NICU parents came together to share encouragement and advice about the NICU journey.
NICU experts are available for interview upon request.
For more information about St. Dominic's 23-bed, Level III NICU, click here.
About St. Dominic's
St. Dominic Hospital is a 571-bed tertiary care hospital located in Jackson, Mississippi, serving all of central Mississippi and employing approximately 3,000 team members including nurses, physicians and skilled caregivers. The medical staff of nearly 500 leading physicians and specialists makes St. Dominic’s one of the most comprehensive hospitals in Mississippi. St. Dominic's is more than just a hospital. It is a family of services focused on fulfilling a mission of Christian healing to those in need. These include St. Dominic Hospital, the Sister Trinita Community Health Services Clinic, St. Dominic Medical Associates (physician network), St. Dominic’s Fitness Center, St. Dominic Health Services Foundation, St. Catherine’s Village and Care-A-Van. Through more than seven decades, St. Dominic’s has remained true to its vision. As a Christian healing community, St. Dominic’s is called to provide quality, compassionate care and an exceptional experience every time. St. Dominic’s is part of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System and is driven by its mission to serve all God’s people, especially those most in need. Learn more at stdom.com.