Melinda

NICU Mother Staying in HHF Apartment

"The apartment is a godsend. Without the help of HHF, I didn't know how I was going to be able to see my baby."

Melinda was 33 weeks pregnant when she arrived at the Meadville Medical Center for a scheduled non-stress test. As she pulled into the lot to park her car, she started bleeding – every expectant mother’s worst nightmare. Meadville Medical Center quickly triaged her, identified a ruptured placenta, and transferred her to UPMC Hamot for treatment and delivery.

Arriving 7 weeks early, her newborn daughter was born safely but required NICU care. On Melinda’s first visit to the NICU, she was met by Jeanne Burns, Unit Director. Jeanne learned Melinda lived an hour away in Cochranton, PA, and offered for her to stay in the HHF-funded apartment nearby the hospital. This critical resource is available to out-of-town families during their baby’s NICU stay.

“The apartment is a godsend,” said Melinda. “I don’t have the most reliable transportation, and I didn’t know how I was going to be able to see my baby. Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done.”

Melinda is tired, yet grateful. Beyond the living arrangements, she tells me her daughter is in “the best place.”