(Joplin, MO) – There were laughter and smiles, of course, as Freeman Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) children played with Hot Wheels, bubbles, and an adorable puppy during the 2025 NICU Reunion.
But there were tears and hugs as well, as parents of NICU children reconnected with the Freeman Health Care nurses who cared for their precious newborns during some of the most traumatic and stressful times of their lives.
“As a first-time mom with a NICU baby, it’s nice to talk to different parents and families who went through the same thing I did, and to get advice and insights and just know that we’re not alone during this journey,” said Bailey Cannady.
Every day inside the NICU, Freeman nurses and physicians provide nonstop care from the moment a newborn takes his or her first breath to when the reunited family is finally able to leave the hospital for home. And while a NICU stay can be a very vulnerable time for families, Sunday’s reunion was the complete opposite — a happy, carnival-like atmosphere filled with music and the giggles and shrieks of children at play.
“I think (the reunion) has a huge impact on the kids in the community, as they can spend time together and relate to each other as they were all in the NICU at one time,” said Izabella Medrano, Freeman Development Office’s Family Relations and Programs Coordinator.
Held at the Joplin Elks Lodge and hosted by the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, in which Freeman Health System is the only CMN Hospital within a 70-mile radius, fun activities ranged from a giant bounce house and rubber duck pond to face-painting and the opportunity to crawl inside a Joplin Police Department vehicle. The reunion occurs every two years.
Freeman NICU is a 24-bed unit that provides specialized care using state-of-the-art technology and years of experience treating premature and critically ill infants. Freeman Maternity Center, in which the NICU is located, is one of the busiest units of its kind operating in Missouri.
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which helps furnish and maintain Freeman’s NICU, provides life-saving assistance to children from birth to 21 years of age in a 14-county area in Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. All money raised stays local, helping children with medical needs and their families.
About Freeman Health System
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center — the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services — as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2020, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and patient safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers. U.S. News & World Report named Freeman Health System the Best Hospital in Southwest Missouri for 2020. With more than 320 physicians on staff representing more than 80 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services and women’s services. Additionally, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.
Reference:
Kevin McClintock, Media Relations Coordinator
Freeman Health System
417.434.3458
KSMcclintock@freemanhealth.com
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