Social Services

Having a baby in the NICU is a stressful time for parents. The social worker is present in the NICU to help families with both practical and emotional supports. For families with premature babies or babies who are ill, the social worker can arrange family conferences with the medical team. The family conference is an opportunity for parents and other family members to sit down with the NICU team of doctors and nurses to hear about their baby's medical condition and plans for care. It is a good time for parents to ask questions and get to know the people who are taking care of their baby.

The social worker can also assist with many of the practical issues of having a baby in the NICU, like getting a breast pump for use at home, getting a parking pass for a lengthy NICU stay and learning what community resources are available for NICU babies and their families.

For general questions or support during the ups and downs of life in the NICU, the social worker is there to help.

Disclaimer
If you think you have a MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or go to the nearest hospital. DO NOT attempt to access emergency care through this web site. An emergency medical condition is a medical or psychiatric condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in any of the following: serious jeopardy to your health, serious impairment to your bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. An emergency medical condition is also "active labor," which means a labor when there is inadequate time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery or if a transfer poses a threat to the health of the member or unborn child.

This site may contain links to other web sites outside of www.permanente.net. Kaiser Permanente has no control over the content or the availability of these sites, and is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites. Web links are provided as an educational tool, and should not be relied upon for personal diagnosis or treatment. A link or reference to a web site should not be construed as an endorsement of the site or its contents. Any medical content that you feel may be important to your health should always be discussed with your Kaiser Permanente physician.