Suburban Service League Supports Newborn Development with $1,500 Donation to Silver Cross Foundation

The Suburban Service League recently donated $1,500 to the Silver Cross Foundation to support the development of premature babies in the Amy, Matthew, and Jay Vana Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). These funds will be used to purchase SENSE® (Supporting and Enhancing NICU Sensory Experiences) program books in both English and Spanish for Silver Cross Hospital NICU families.

Since 1963, the Suburban Service League (SSL) has been committed to providing financial assistance through fundraising events to individuals and organizations in need, with a focus on the southern suburbs. This latest donation continues their legacy of support for critical healthcare initiatives.

Silver Cross adopted the SENSE® program last year to provide the best care for high-risk infants. This initiative aims to optimize both infant and parent outcomes during NICU stays by offering consistent, developmentally appropriate, positive sensory experiences. Activities include massage, holding, auditory stimulation, and rocking, with active parental participation.

“Infants in the NICU face significant stressors, such as painful procedures, disrupted sensory experiences, and the stress of parent-infant separation,” said Dr. Corryn Greenwood, NCU Medical Director. “During this critical period of brain development, positive sensory exposures and parent-infant interaction are crucial for optimal neural network development. These experiences can have lifelong impacts on learning, memory, emotions, and overall development.”

Since its development in 2017, the SENSE program has demonstrated several benefits:

• Improved neurobehavior and infant brain development
• Better feeding outcomes
• Enhanced parental preparation for transitioning from NICU to home
• Improved communication skills at one year old
• Strengthened parent-child interaction

In 2024, 104 NICU patients at Silver Cross benefited from the SENSE program, which is also utilized at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. The Amy, Matthew and Jay Vana NICU – Will County’s only Level III NICU, is by Lurie neonatologists around the clock and equipped to care for newborns who require the most advanced treatment, including assisted ventilation, neonatal surgery, and treatment for complex congenital anomalies. The 24-bed NICU features 24 private, single-family rooms, and boasts the latest technology to care for infants born before 30 weeks gestational age; with birth defects, infections, breathing difficulties or other high-risk conditions; or at other nearby hospitals needing specialized care. To learn more about the NICU or make a donation, visit silvercross.org.