U.S. Sen Tom Cotton and Family Tour UAMS NICU
| U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton visited the UAMS neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) April 19 to get a glimpse of the life-saving environment that takes care of babies born prematurely, some who have to stay weeks and months separated from their families.
“What a blessing this center is for the entire state of Arkansas,” Cotton said. “UAMS has been a pioneer in advanced technologies like Angel Eye Cameras on every bed. That’s important for families who live far away and can’t be here 24/7.”
The UAMS Angel Eye program is an online system allowing parents and other authorized family members to view babies through a secure website.
Gabriel Cotton receives an Easter basket during a tour of the UAMS NICU.
Cotton was accompanied by his wife, Anna, and sons Gabriel, 4, and Daniel, 2. Daniel spent two weeks in a NICU in Washington, D.C. where he was born.
“It’s personally something that we care a lot about,” the senator said.
The tour, led by Whit Hall, M.D., and NICU medical director, Sara Peeples, M.D., featured baby rooms, an up-close look at the Wall of Hope, including the recently added virtual Wall of Hope, and the space that will be the future home of a Ronald McDonald Family Room.
The Wall of Hope outside the UAMS NICU features photos of healthy, happy children who once were patients at the UAMS NICU. The display was funded by the March of Dimes. The Ronald McDonald Family Room, once completed, will allow up to four families of babies in the NICU to stay in the hospital near their baby.
Sara Peeples, M.D. talks to the Cottons about the elements of a UAMS NICU room.
During their visit, Tom and Anna Cotton spent time with a Paragould couple who have a son in the NICU. Kelsey and Blake Bennett’s son turned 1 month old that day and has nearly doubled his birth weight. He was born at 27 weeks weighing 1 lb., 2 oz.
“This place has been amazing,” Kelsey Bennet said. “We couldn’t ask for a better experience. I feel like the nurses and doctors really care about our son. That’s a comforting feeling when we can’t be here, to know that there are people here who truly love and care about him, too.”