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Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative

Homeward Bound Initiative

Homeward Bound Initiative

Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) families are often overwhelmed by the discharge process. Their anxiety can inhibit learning and contribute to poor infant outcomes and increased healthcare utilization after discharge. The quality of the discharge preparation is the strongest predictor of discharge readiness, so NICUs must develop excellent discharge preparation programs.

Comprehensive discharge preparation for new parents of fragile special-needs newborns is invaluable. It includes educating, equipping, addressing health-related social needs, and arranging necessary infant healthcare and support services. This leads to efficient NICU discharge, improved caregiver satisfaction, and better family-centered care.

Launched in January 2024, the initiative focused on promoting the successful discharge and transition of the NICU baby to home by focusing on three Key Drivers:

  1. Family engagement and preparedness
  2. Health Related Social Needs (HRSN)
  3. Transfer and coordination of care

Homeward Bound was developed based on interdisciplinary guidelines on NICU discharge preparation and transition planning. The initiative’s programs, trainings, materials, and data tracking were made available in a toolkit form with an accompanying toolbox for our initiative hospitals.

The active phase of the initiative concluded in July 2025; however, 30 hospitals will continue participating in the sustainability phase of Homeward Bound, which will extend through June 2028.

New Resource! Actionable Strategies for Addressing Trauma-Informed Care in the NICU