Manning Family Children’s has been honored with the Vermont Oxford Network (VON) Award for Excellence in Quality Improvement, a national recognition that celebrates hospitals that demonstrate measurable, data-driven improvements in neonatal care.
The award recognizes Manning Family Children’s neonatology team for its work to optimize neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) by reducing sleep disruption in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
The project recognized by the Vermont Oxford Network focused on improving care for infants with BPD, a serious lung condition that primarily affects premature babies. These infants often require prolonged stays in the NICU and are especially vulnerable to developmental challenges.
The team at Manning Family Children’s identified that frequent disruptions in the NICU environment, including routine caregiving activities, noise, and handling, were interfering with restorative sleep that is critical for brain growth and healing. Using a structured, improvement approach, the multidisciplinary team redesigned aspects of daily care to better protect infant sleep while still meeting complex medical needs. This included evaluating when and how care activities were clustered, reducing unnecessary disturbances, increasing staff awareness around sleep protection, and closely measuring outcomes to ensure changes were effective. The team tracked data over time to confirm that improvements were meaningful and sustainable.
The result was measurable improvement in care practices that support healthier neurodevelopment for medically fragile newborns. Rather than focusing only on survival or respiratory stability, the project emphasized long-term brain development and overall quality of life — reflecting a modern, forward-thinking approach to neonatal care.
“The involvement of family partners on our team is critical to our success,” said Julie Gallois, MD, director of quality for neonatology at Manning Family Children’s. “A family-centered quality improvement model is built on the idea that families are essential members of the care team, especially in the NICU. Their involvement helps ensure that improvement projects reflect what matters most to patients and families.”