Inspira Vineland adds newborn cooling therapy for brain injury

Inspira Medical Center Vineland has added whole-body cooling for newborns with brain injury linked to reduced blood-oxygen levels, giving the Deborah F. Sager Neonatal Intensive Care Unit a treatment that can make the first critical hours after birth less disruptive for South Jersey families. The program means some babies who once might have needed a long transfer for specialized care can now be treated in Vineland, close to parents and caregivers in Cumberland County.

The new service is built around equipment purchased through a grant from The Superhero Project Inc. to the Deborah F. Sager Memorial Fund. Inspira said the setup includes whole-body cooling technology, aEEG brain-monitoring equipment and an MRI-safe neonatal ventilator. The aEEG system is less invasive than older monitoring tools and gives clinicians continuous, real-time information about brain activity, helping them spot seizure activity and make treatment decisions quickly.

Inspira said the cooling program is intended for newborns with neurological trauma related to reduced blood-oxygen levels. That timing matters because treatment for oxygen-deprivation injury is most effective when it starts early, often within hours of birth, while families are still trying to absorb the shock of a NICU admission.

The Deborah F. Sager NICU operates in partnership with Nemours Children’s Health, which said its collaboration with Inspira Medical Center Vineland serves children and families from Cumberland and Salem counties. Nemours describes its NICUs as Level IV, the highest level of neonatal care, adding context to what the Vineland program now offers locally.

The memorial fund behind the unit has a long history in the county. Inspira said the Deborah F. Sager Memorial Fund was established in 1978 in memory of Deborah Felisse Sager and began with proceeds from the Newcomb Hospital Horse Shows and the Atlantic City International Equestrian Festival. Since 2012, the fund has raised more than $1 million for neonatal and pediatric services at Inspira.

That donor support has already paid for other NICU upgrades. In 2021, Inspira said more than $300,000 from the fund went toward climate-controlled beds, sophisticated IV pumps and additional equipment, with a $30,000 donation from The Wawa Foundation helping support the purchase. Inspira also credited the Esther & Pedro Rosenblatt Foundation among the philanthropic partners backing the latest upgrade.

Together, the cooling program and the monitoring tools deepen the level of neonatal care available in Cumberland County and keep more of that care inside the community when families need it most.