Book drive supports reading to babies in the NICU
The donated board books will be used as part of an international read-a-thon later in the month that encourages parents and caregivers to make reading part of their time with infants.
A book drive presented by the Patient Family Advisory Council at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital is helping to encourage parents and caregivers to read to babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
From Tuesday, Sept. 1, through Friday, Sept. 11, the community is invited to donate new board books in the hospital’s front lobby. The books will be used as part of an international read-a-thon later in the month that encourages parents and caregivers to make reading part of their time with infants, said Rachel Stanley, RN, a NICU educator and member of the advisory council.
Reading to babies is an important part of early development. Hearing stories and language helps support brain development while also creating opportunities for parents and caregivers to bond with their babies.
Community members can help support NICU families by donating a new board book during the drive. Each book provides an opportunity for a parent or caregiver to share a story, a voice, and a moment of connection with their baby.
On any given day, there is an average of 70 infants in the region’s only Level III NICU. Some babies stay for just a few days, and others stay for months.
A bin will be placed in the front lobby at Children’s & Women’s Hospital to collect the books for the collection drive.
New books may be mailed to:
USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital NICU
C/O Catherine McCurley
1700 Center Street
Mobile, AL 36604
Through a partnership with the United Way of Southwest Alabama that began in 2025, patients at Children’s & Women’s Hospital and its clinics can also join the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
At no cost to families, this program provides (by mail) free age-appropriate monthly books to children from birth to age 5 who subscribe to the program. The United Way of Southwest Alabama provides print materials about the program that are placed in hospital rooms and in discharge folders of pediatric patients.
