08/02/2007
(Hartford, Conn.) Detroit Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky has returned to his Connecticut roots to spend some time visiting families and their newborns in the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center.
I have always been a person who wanted to help, but now more than ever. I realize that god has blessed me with the opportunity to play football in the NFL, and if I can bring a smile to the faces of families with sick children, I am honored to do my part,� said Dan Orlovsky, Quarterback, Detroit Lions.
With his care and compassion for children through the Dan Orlovsky Foundation, the UConn great will use his �star power to help make the day a little brighter for the families with newborns in medical need at Saint Francis.
We are delighted that Dan has offered to come to Saint Francis and spend the day with the families of our critically ill newborn infants. His presence and �celebrity status is sure to be uplifting to families and our staff in our neo-natal intensive care unit,� said Christopher Dadlez, President and CEO, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center.
Saint Francis has a 28-bed neo-natal intensive care unit. (NICU) It is a designated tertiary care facility that provides comprehensive care to critically ill infants. The NICU provides intensive medical, surgical, and nursing care, state-of-the-art electronic monitoring, life support systems, and a complete range of diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities.
The focus of our NICU is to meet the needs of the entire family in a supportive environment. Having Dan Orlovsky visit our unit, families will be given that �extra special encouragement they need to help them through the day,� said Hema DeSilva, Chairman of Pediatrics.
Founded in 1897, Saint Francis is a major teaching hospital licensed for 617 acute inpatient beds and 65 bassinets and is the largest Catholic hospital in New England.
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