The Del E. Webb Foundation has donated $100,000 to Hushabye Nursery to renovate approximately 1,000 square feet in their basement to create a new board room, two telehealth offices, two administrative offices, and one restroom. The renovated space will aid in the nonprofit’s growth and ability to serve more babies experiencing NAS and their caregivers.

“We are so grateful for the Del E. Webb Foundation’s support,” said Tara Sundem, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Hushabye Nursery. “This renovation will give us additional space upstairs to serve babies and their caregivers. We couldn’t do this renovation without the community’s support.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a baby is born every 15 minutes with NAS resulting from the mother’s prenatal opioid exposure, which involves a complex and painful detoxification process in the days following birth. The Arizona Department of Health Services reports that from June 15, 2017, to December 10, 2021, there were 3,156 babies born with NAS.

Babies with NAS are the tiniest victims in today’s opioid health crisis, one exacerbated by persistent barriers to healthcare access and equity for infants. Hushabye Nursery’s model provides a therapeutic environment, short-term medical care and social services for infants suffering from NAS, along with outpatient services and resources for families experiencing opioid use disorder.

Founded by neonatal nurse practitioners, Hushabye Nursery is the only NAS-focused nursery in the country to integrate health care and social services while prioritizing both keeping infants safe and having the families directly involved in their care and recovery. They were recently recognized as one of 10 organizations across the country for the First-Ever Behavioral Health Recovery Innovation Challenge by the Department of Health and Human Services through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

About Hushabye Nursery
Since 2017, Hushabye Nursery has provided prenatal and postpartum outpatient education. With the emerging crisis in the number of substance-exposed newborns suffering Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), Hushabye Nursery opened its 12-bed residential detoxification nursery in Phoenix for newborns painfully withdrawing from opioids they were exposed to in the womb and their families struggling with opioid use disorder. It is the first-of-its-kind NAS nursery in the US to provide state-of-the-art, evidence-based NAS care with wraparound family support services and provides a safe and inclusive space for mothers, family members and babies. It is exceeding existing models of care in improved health outcomes, cost efficiencies, and social determinants of health including less use of pharmacological treatments such as Morphine, shorter lengths of stay, less expensive care costs, and increased family reunification. The Level-1 sub-acute facility accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) has treated more than 600 babies and their families since opening in November 2020. For more information, please visit: http://www.hushabyenursery.org.