To mark Bookworm Day, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Children's of Alabama have unveiled a unique addition to their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) - a book vending machine.

Babies born prematurely or with health complexities are at a higher risk of encountering developmental challenges that could affect their language and reading skills. This initiative is designed to mitigate these risks and introduce the pleasure of reading to families staying in the NICU, fostering a positive environment for both parents and their newborns.

On December 15, UAB Medicine hosted its yearly Bookworm Day to commemorate the joy of reading and the remarkable influence of the parent-child connection. During the event, a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrated the NICU Bookworms program's new initiative - a book vending machine for patients.

Bookworm Day serves as a perfect occasion to unveil this meaningful project, emphasizing the commitment of UAB and Children's of Alabama to enhancing the well-being of parents and infants in the NICU. 

United States Representative Terri A. Sewell joined the celebration and visited the UAB Regional NICU and Children's of Alabama NICU. Sewell also read stories to some of the smallest patients at UAB and Children's of Alabama. Sewell expressed her gratitude to UAB and Children's of Alabama for launching this book vending machine, highlighting the significance of the initiative in strengthening the bond between caregivers and children.

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Dr. Viral G. Jain, assistant professor in the Division of Neonatology at UAB and Children's of Alabama, established the program following research on the beneficial effects of reading aloud to infants in the NICU. Dr. Jain stated that shared book reading is a significant means of language exposure throughout childhood and a tool for building a strong bond between parents and infants. 

Books were delivered by hand before the machine was introduced into the unit. This distribution process limited the families' time and opportunity to read new books. Sandra Milstead, family nurse liaison in the UAB Women and Infants Center, and Yvonne Bolaji, clinical research coordinator, manage the distribution of books. 

Milstead stated that families involved in the program had a hard time getting hold of books. Milstead also advocates for continued shared reading and growing personal libraries so families can continue reading after leaving UAB.

The recently donated book vending machine, courtesy of Barbre and Alex Hoar, empowers parents by offering 24/7 book access, fostering greater family independence. Parents can earn tokens by engaging in care activities with their infants and participating in educational programs. These tokens can be used to redeem new books at the vending machine. This innovative vending machine is stocked with an array of children's books, allowing parents to select and enjoy reading to their little ones during their stay in the NICU.

The NICU Bookworms program received book donations from Reach Out and Read-Alabama and Legacy Federal Credit Union. To contribute new books to the program, you can visit the UAB RNICU Wishlist. If you wish to contribute more, you can donate to the UAB RNICU and CCN here. 

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