March of Dimes, UHA Health Insurance Present Mother’s Day Gift Baskets to Kapi‘olani NICU Families

Featured image: UHA pictured with March of Dimes and members of Kapiolani’s leadership and NICU team.

Honolulu, HI (May 10, 2024) – Just in time for Mother’s Day, March of Dimes Hawai‘i and its longtime partner UHA Health Insurance presented special gift baskets for the families of infants currently in the neonatal intensive care unit at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children.

Some two dozen current Kapi‘olani NICU families will receive a gift basket specially curated by members of the UHA ‘ohana.

Each NICU baby-care basket is unique and includes items – including baby books, newborn clothes and other gift items – specially selected for these extra-special families by different UHA departments and teams to lift the spirits of parents.

UHA is a longtime supporter of March of Dimes, which shares its goal of good health for island families, mothers and babies. The March of Dimes provides critical services to medical centers like Kapi‘olani and has a history of making care baskets for patients (and their loved ones) of all ages.

“From day one, the UHA ‘ohana has been our partner in championing our mission to lead the fight for the health of all moms and babies. It means so much to us at March of Dimes having their constant support to make a strong local impact here in Hawai‘i. We are so grateful for the gift baskets made from love from their team, which will bring a bright light to the families in the NICU who are going through a difficult journey at this time,” says Candice Fajardo, executive director of March of Dimes Hawai‘i.

“We are honored to present these gift baskets to Kapi‘olani’s NICU families as a show of support,” explains UHA President & CEO Howard Lee. “Because UHA is homegrown with a legacy of having been founded and still guided by physician-leadership, we believe it is our kuleana to keep Hawai‘i’s mothers, babies and the whole ‘ohana healthy and well. When you care for keiki – like the March of Dimes and Kapi‘olani do as our partners – you are caring for the entire family.”

The Kapi‘olani NICU is a specialized unit that provides around-the-clock care to sick or preterm babies. While the newborns face those health challenges, the medical circumstances can overwhelm their parents, too.

“Kapi‘olani’s NICU cares for some of the most vulnerable babies from the entire Pacific region,” said Gidget Ruscetta, RN, Kapi‘olani’s chief operating officer. “Some families spend weeks, or even months, in the NICU as their child receives specialized care. UHA’s donated gift baskets do so much to lift the spirits of our families by showing how there’s a whole community of support for our NICU babies. We’re truly grateful for March of Dimes and UHA for surprising us with these wonderful gifts.”

The UHA NICU gift baskets were unveiled at the 54^th March for Babies: A Mother of a Movement walk on May 4 during a ceremonial presentation to Fajardo of March of Dimes Hawai‘i by UHA Chief Human Resource and Brand Officer Stevette Santiago.

Santiago was joined at the basket unveiling by former Kapi‘olani NICU premies Blue Vi, aged five, and Bodhi Barad, aged 13 – children of UHA employees who are thriving youngsters now because of the care they received from the Kapi‘olani NICU team. Blue Vi and mother Anna Heimuli also served as March of Dimes Hawai‘i’s 2020 Ambassador Family.

About March of Dimes
March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, lead programs and provide education and advocacy so that every family can have the best possible start. Since 1938, we’ve built a successful legacy to support every pregnant person and every family. Visit marchofdimes.org or nacersano.org for more information. Find us on Facebook and follow us with #marchofdimes and @marchofdimes.

About UHA Health Insurance
UHA Health Insurance – through the largest physician network in Hawai‘i – provides medical, drug and vision plans to nearly 4,300 Hawai‘i employer groups and over 60,000 members. It is the only homegrown health plan founded by physicians themselves: University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine educators. UHA continues to be physician-led with an aim to influence healthcare in Hawai‘i for the better, while granting its members access to high quality care; it was the first in the state to offer health plans focused on wellness and prevention of disease. By meeting strict quality standards to ensure clinically sound decision-making that respects the rights of patients and medical providers, UHA received accreditation in Health Utilization Management through URAC, the independent non-profit that promotes healthcare quality. For information, visit uhahealth.com or follow @uhahealth on X (Twitter).

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