ORANGE : 300 Due at Picnic for Neonatal Alumni

More than 300 children and young adults who spent time as infants in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital of Orange County will be attending the facility’s 17th annual reunion picnic this afternoon at St. Joseph Hospital Park.

Besides hot dogs, refreshments and entertainment, some activities will reflect the special nature of what these children have accomplished, said Andrea Pronk, a hospital spokeswoman.

For example, the children are being asked to bring two photos of themselves--a picture taken of them as infants in the neonatal unit and a more recent snapshot that will be placed in an album kept by the unit’s coordinator of parent support activities.

“It will keep a very good record of our success stories,” Pronk said. “It’s a good tool for parents whose children are in the unit to use.”

Besides the children, family and friends as well as doctors, nurses and support staff who work in the unit are encouraged to attend the three-hour picnic.

Pronk said last year’s event drew over 700 people.

The neonatal unit at the hospital, which now can house up to 32 infants at the same time, started with six beds in 1965.

“It is an intensive care unit and it’s for children who have serious health concerns that require a high level of care,” Pronk said. “It is for all premature infants and any newborn that has encountered a serious illness before being discharged from the hospital.”