High Risk Hope

05/18/2023

High Risk Hope ceased operations in Spring 2023. We are honored to have served 14,500 families with high-risk pregnancies and premature babies in neonatal intensive care since 2011. Visit www.highriskhope.org to read about how HRH's Legacy of Hope continues and consider supporting the organizations in our community that provide care to women and families before and after the premature birth of a baby.

High Risk Hope is a for purpose organization that provides support, info and resources to women and families who are experiencing a high risk pregnancy.

04/22/2023

HRH is highlighting the nonprofit organizations that will carry on our legacy of hope for HROB and NICU families as we distribute over $500,000 of our remaining monetary and non-monetary assets.

HRH will provide funding for three initiatives at Tampa General Hospital. The Fetal Care Family Aid Fund supports families receiving care from the Fetal Care Team by helping them pay for hotel stays, supplies, and medications. The Neonatal Exposure Program helps expectant mothers struggling with addiction. HRH’s funds will provide one year of care packages that include useful items for postpartum and newborn care. HRH will also help purchase a point-of-care ultrasound machine for the Jennifer Leigh Muma NICU at TGH.

To support Tampa General Hospital, visit http://www.tgh.org/foundation.

04/21/2023

HRH is highlighting the nonprofit organizations that will carry on our legacy of hope for HROB and NICU families as we distribute over $500,000 of our remaining monetary and non-monetary assets.

HRH will fund the purchase of point-of-care ultrasound machines for the NICUs at St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital and Mease Countryside Hospital. The ultrasound machines are used for aiding in IV placement and rapid screening of the heart and brain which can be done by the neonatologists at the bedside urgently without waiting for radiology to come to the NICU.

To Support St. Joseph's Women's Hospital, visit: http://www.sjhfoundation.org
To Support Mease Countryside Hospital, visit: http://www.mpmf.org

04/20/2023

HRH is highlighting the nonprofit organizations that will carry on our legacy of hope for HROB and NICU families as we distribute over $500,000 of our remaining monetary and non-monetary assets.

HRH will fund nursing scholarships for eight undergraduate students at the University of South Florida who will specialize in NICU nursing. Scholarship support will directly impact the nursing shortage in the Tampa community by reducing the financial barrier for students. Scholarship recipients will be designated as High Risk Hope Scholars and will complete the Bulls for Babies NICU Nursing Seminar.

To support HRH Scholars, visit https://giving.usf.edu/where/usf-health/nursing

04/19/2023

Do you want to volunteer to continue bringing hope to families in the hospital? Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay is adopting HRH's Bed Rest Basket, NICU Napsack, and Bereavement Box programs and is accepting volunteers! Email [email protected] for info on how to get involved.

04/17/2023

High Risk Hope has wonderful news! Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay will be adopting HRH's Bed Rest Basket, NICU Napsack, and Bereavement Box programs as of May 1, 2023 in advance of HRH's dissolution. We are thrilled that our programs will continue to bring hope to families in the hospital in our community!

📣 Exciting News! 🎉 McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay (RMHCTB) is adopting High Risk Hope's (HRH) Bed Rest Basket, NICU Napsack, and Bereavement Box Programs starting May 1st, 2023! 🙌 Under the new name "Hope Bundles," these bundles will provide support, encouragement, educational info, and resources for moms and families dealing with high-risk pregnancies and premature infants in the hospital. HRH will dissolve in Spring 2023, providing funding & inventory to RMHCTB for the Hope Bundles Program.

HRH Executive Director, Bailey Nicholas, says: "RMHCTB is perfectly positioned to carry on the programs that HRH has provided families for the past 12 years." 💙 Hope Bundles is a program that provides essential items, info, and emotional support during a challenging time. 🌟 RMHCTB will continue to serve HRH's current hospital partners, including Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, Tampa General Hospital, St. Joseph's Women's Hospital, Mease Countryside Hospital, and Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System. To learn more about this program, volunteer, or donate items visit: https://rmhctampabay.org/hope-continues/

11/22/2022

Dear High Risk Hope Family,

In this season of Thanksgiving, High Risk Hope reflects with gratitude on the 12 years of support we have received from our community which has allowed us to provide vital resources and hope to over 12,000 families in the hospital before and after the birth of their premature baby.

We write today with an update on the future of High Risk Hope. We are grateful to have remained operational these past two and a half years since the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected our fundraising, but unfortunately, our long-term funding is no longer sufficient to continue operations. Our Board of Directors recently passed a resolution to dissolve High Risk Hope during 2023.

We anticipate the final dissolution occurring in the Spring of 2023. In the meantime, we will continue to distribute Bed Rest Baskets and NICU Napsacks to area hospitals to deplete our sizable amount of inventory. We will no longer be accepting monetary donations; however, we look forward to sharing with you in the Spring the ways in which HRH's legacy will live on as we distribute our remaining monetary assets to nonprofits supporting similar causes. We are hopeful that the needs of families experiencing a high-risk pregnancy and their baby’s admission to the NICU will continue to be met by the robust network of organizations supporting moms and babies in our community.

While this is not the news we hoped to share with you this holiday season, we rest in gratitude for all those who have walked alongside us in our quest to bring comfort and hope to families in crisis. High Risk Hope is honored to have served families in West Central Florida as they navigated complex and stressful hospital stays. We could not have impacted so many lives without our dedicated donors, volunteers, and HRH families. Thank you for your loyal support.

With Gratitude,

Heather Barrow Bailey Nicholas
Founder and Board Chair Executive Director

11/17/2022

Today is Prematurity Awareness Day and we honor the 1 in 10 babies born too soon. We are honored to walk alongside the families of preemies as they make their journey from hospital to home.

10/20/2022

HRH is so grateful for our September and October Bed Rest Basket and NICU Napsack sponsor, Florida Medical Clinic Foundation of Caring. We love our community support!

09/20/2022

What a heartwarming story of a retired Sarasota doctor helping NICU babies in war-torn Ukraine.

Paul Runge, a retired ophthalmologist, wasn’t particularly interested in typical retirement hobbies — such as golfing, tennis, or extensive travel — instead leaning into opportunities of helping others with his medical knowledge, whether by teaching or volunteering

09/16/2022

You know High Risk Hope loves to hear about a friendly NICU Read-a-thon competition! May the best read NICU take the prize (we are rooting for you St. Joseph's Women's Hospital)!

09/16/2022

Looking for ways to help a friend or family member on hospital bed rest or in the NICU? Here is a great article with tips on how to support them during their time of crisis.

Whether it’s your best friend, sibling, or coworker, when your loved one has a baby in the NICU, it’s time to show up and roll up your sleeves.