NEENAH, Wis., Jan. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Huggies® No Baby Unhugged program is awarding eight additional $10,000 grants to help support or establish volunteer hugging programs in hospitals across the country. Hugging programs provide hospital volunteers with the resources to deliver the power of touch to babies who are premature or in need of medical attention. Hugs and touch are more than just a heartwarming cuddle – this stimulation and human interaction are proven to support babies' physiological and emotional wellbeing.
"Our goal at Palmetto Health is to do everything that we can to support our families. This grant provides us with the resources to offer even more support. We know that touch is a vital part of caring for each patient and that something as simple as a hug helps provide babies with what they need to develop and grow. Those hugs given, by our dedicated volunteers, also reduce the burden and stress for families who cannot always be there to cuddle their babies," said Mollie Ironside, MSP, CCC-SLP, Pediatric Speech Language Pathologist at Palmetto Health Richland. "With this grant from Huggies, we can purchase more chairs, books and other items that will increase comfort for our volunteers, these fragile patients, and their families."
In the two years of the No Baby Unhugged program, Huggies has awarded $330,000 in grant funding to hospitals in need. The grants have been used to purchase hugging chairs, recruit and train volunteers, and promote the idea of cuddler programs. The eight hospitals receiving grants this January are:
- Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (Norfolk, VA)
- Crouse Health (Syracuse, NY)
- Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children (Huntsville, AL)
- Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)
- Loyola University Medical Center (Maywood, IL)
- Palmetto Health Richland (Columbia, SC)
- Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital (Indianapolis, IN)
- Tufts Medical Center (Boston, MA)
"It's not only premature babies who benefit greatly from these hugs in the NICU, but also near- or full-term babies," said Aric Melzl, General Manager for Huggies Healthcare. "Hospitals that have received a Huggies' No Baby Unhugged grant have shown that babies receiving hugs continue to develop motor skills and gain weight."
To be considered for future rounds of grants, interested hospitals should visit Huggies Healthcare website for further information about program application process. For all others who wish to help support the program, visit Huggies.com/NoBabyUnhugged to become a Huggies Member. For each new membership, Huggies will donate $5 to support hugging program grants for hospitals.
About the Huggies Brand
Huggies believes deeply in the Power of Hugs. That's why every Huggies diaper and wipe is inspired by parents' hugs. For 40 years, Huggies has been helping parents provide love, care and reassurance to help babies thrive. No Baby Unhugged is Huggies promise to ensure babies get the care they need to thrive – from innovative everyday products, growing hospital hugger programs and specially-designed products for the tiniest of babies, to diapers and wipes donations. Huggies partners with NICU nurses to develop diapers and wipes that meet the specific needs of pre-term infants, and now more hospitals than ever are using Huggies. For more information on the Huggies No Baby Unhugged program, visit the "Why Huggies?" page at Huggies.com.
About Kimberly-Clark:
Kimberly-Clark KMB and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people's most essential needs, we create products that help individuals experience more of what's important to them. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Neve, Plenitud, Viva and WypAll, hold the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in 80 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build stronger communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company's 146-year history of innovation, visit kimberly-clark.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
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SOURCE Huggies
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