Hospital launches NICU family mental-health support

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center said on May 13 that it has launched a Family Wellness Program for parents with babies in its neonatal intensive care unit, adding bedside mental-health screening, telehealth therapy and peer support in San Jose, California. The program is aimed at families during NICU stays and after discharge, hospital officials said. Dr. Priya Jegatheesan, the hospital’s chief of neonatology, told KTVU that families had asked for help while they were still in the unit. The new services also include assistance with food, transportation and childcare for siblings, according to the hospital and KTVU. ### Why did the hospital add a separate mental-health program for NICU parents? KTVU reported on May 13 that Santa Clara Valley Medical Center described the program as filling a “critical gap” in NICU services. Jegatheesan told the station that postpartum depression affects roughly 15% of new mothers in general, but rises to nearly 50% for parents whose babies are in the NICU. (ktvu.com) A 2024 article in *Neonatology Today* by clinicians including Jegatheesan said families in the NICU face intense stress and anxiety and that family participation in care can reduce parental stress and later post-traumatic stress disorder. The paper described Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s NICU as a 40-bed, level IV regional unit in a safety-net hospital with about 300 to 350 annual admissions. (ktvu.com) ### What does the new program actually provide at the bedside? KTVU said the Family Wellness Program includes immediate screening to identify mental-health struggles early, telehealth connections to therapists and peer support from counselors with personal NICU experience. The station identified Jennifer Godfrey as the program’s family wellness coordinator and said she spent three months in the NICU with her own son. (neonatologytoday.org) Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s NICU already had family-support services before this launch. The hospital’s patient information page says its March of Dimes NICU Family Support program was established in 2008 and that two mothers with prolonged NICU stays assist other mothers with emotional support and coping during hospitalization. ### How does the hospital say support continues after parents leave the unit? (ktvu.com) KTVU reported that Santa Clara Valley Medical Center designed the program to continue beyond discharge rather than ending when the baby leaves the hospital. The hospital said families can keep using telehealth and peer support after they go home. The same report said the hospital is tying mental-health support to practical needs by helping families with food, transportation and childcare for siblings. (scvmc.scvh.org) That approach reflects the county health system’s broader safety-net role; Santa Clara Valley Medical Center describes itself on its website as part of the community’s healthcare safety net. (ktvu.com) ### Who is running the NICU program at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center? Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s provider page identifies Priya Jegatheesan as a neonatologist at the hospital, and Stanford Profiles lists her as NICU director and division chief at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. KTVU identified her as chief of neonatology in its May 13 report on the new program. The hospital’s NICU webpage says the unit is located at 751 South Bascom Avenue in San Jose and has operated since 1972. (ktvu.com) The same page says it is currently a 40-bed regional center level IV NICU. ### What was already in place before this launch? A January 2026 county news item said Santa Clara Valley Medical Center had been named a 2026 High Performing Hospital for Maternity Care by U.S. (scvmc.scvh.org) News & World Report. The county health system’s news page does not yet show a separate press release for the Family Wellness Program launch. The 2024 *Neonatology Today* article said the hospital’s family-centered care program began in 2009 through a March of Dimes grant and grew into a broader support structure inside the NICU. (scvmc.scvh.org) The patient-services page lists parent education classes, lactation support and family advocates among existing services. Santa Clara Valley Medical Center said the Family Wellness Program is now part of care for parents in its NICU at 751 South Bascom Avenue, and KTVU reported on May 13 that families can access the new support during hospitalization and after discharge. (health.santaclaracounty.gov) (ktvu.com) (neonatologytoday.org)