A Student Society Bridges the Gap between Interest and Involvement in the NICU by Creating a Cuddler Guide and Program

Abstract

A group of occupational therapy students, who serve as executive board members of the National Perinatal Association Student Society (NPASS) chapter at The State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Health Sciences University created a Cuddler Guide and Program. They worked with National Perinatal Association (NPA) Board Members Jessica Restivo, MS, OTR/L and Brigitte Desport DPS, OTR/L, BCP, ATP on these projects to contribute to the welfare and development of babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). To understand how this NPASS chapter embarked on such an initiative, below outlines the student organization’s connection to its parent organization (National Perinatal Association), its development and experiences, and finally the creation of the Cuddler Guide and Program.