Valley Children’s Hospital held its annual Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Graduate Picnic on Saturday, October 11, at the Giannini Family Pavilion. The event brought together hundreds of families and hospital staff to celebrate the recovery and progress of children who were once patients in the NICU.
The tradition, now over 45 years old, began with a small gathering of about ten families at Roeding Park. Over time, attendance has grown significantly, reaching more than 1,000 participants before the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s turnout nearly matched previous records as families and staff reunited to mark the achievements of former NICU patients.
“It’s a day for all of our babies who’ve graduated from our NICU to come back and see our staff and spend some time just showing how great they’re doing,” said Stacie Venkatesan, director of NICU and patient throughput. “Our babies can spend as long as three months or longer in the NICU, and so we really form bonds with the families. Getting them to come back for the staff to get to see how well the kids are doing…is really encouraging for both ends.”
The picnic featured a “Homecoming” theme, highlighting the experiences of children who overcame critical health challenges during their stay in the hospital’s NICU. Kylie Liang, a 16-year-old graduate of the program, said, “It means a lot to me that they saved my life back then. Now I just want to give back to them. I think being a NICU grad and being able to do that is just a blessing.”
Valley Children’s Hospital provides care for over 1,400 critically ill newborns each year, including those born prematurely or with complex medical needs. The hospital operates the only Level IV NICU in the region—a designation from the American Academy of Pediatrics that signifies the highest level of neonatal care available in Central California.
“We’ll have people who will travel today to come back and see us from as far as the coast and Bakersfield and Modesto,” Venkatesan said. “Years ago, we decided it was a great opportunity for some of our partners in the community to come talk about the services that may still be important for some of these families that they may not have access to.”
In addition to former patients and their families, this year’s event included community partners such as WIC and La Leche League.
