Every year, the Newton Glassman Charitable Foundation Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Mount Sinai Hospital provides specialized care for approximately 1,100 premature and low birth-weight babies. The NICU experience can be full of anxiety and uncertainty for the parents of these fragile, hospitalized infants. Parents often have to continue juggling the demands of work and family, all while trying to spend as much time as possible at the Hospital with their baby, whose health needs can change minute to minute.
Beth McBarnett and Richard Pilosof are all too familiar with this difficult experience.
We brought them together for a powerful conversation about how the life-changing care the NICU provides for fragile infants has continued to evolve over the last three decades, what brought them hope during their children’s hospitalizations, and how their respective journeys have shaped their contributions to Sinai Health today.
Beth has given birth to three children at Mount Sinai Hospital, two of whom needed to spend time in the NICU. Beth’s oldest son, who is now 12 years old, was born at 26 weeks, and her youngest daughter, who is now three years old, was born at 32 weeks. Richard’s son, who is now 31 years old, was born at 31 weeks.
For both Beth and Richard, their children’s NICU experiences changed the course of their lives, inspiring them to find ways to give back to the Hospital and support other families navigating a similar health journey.
Beth volunteered in the NICU for more than eight years before taking on a role as a staff parent support worker at Mount Sinai Hospital, part of the Dylan Sophia Perinatal Grief and Trauma Coaching Program supported by The Lang Family Foundation. She meets regularly with the parents of admitted infants, ensuring they have the resources and emotional support they need to get through this challenging period in their lives. Richard has embraced the power of philanthropy and volunteerism, serving as a member of Sinai Health Foundation’s Board of Directors for more than a decade. Most recently he served as the Chair of the Board, where he has been able to have a tremendous impact on the hospital he credits with saving his son’s life.