Santa Greets Preemies At Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin

AUSTIN, TX — No less a luminary than Santa Claus himself dropped by Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin on Monday despite his busy schedule in order to bring holiday cheer to parents and their babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.

The babies were dressed in holiday outfits for their very first picture with Santa in the midst of his busy season. While Christmas in the hospital's NICU looked a little different this year — safety protocols spurred by the coronavirus have altered the most mundane of routines and our proximity to others — undeterred staff members dressed up like the jolly old elf and Mrs. Claus to suffuse added cheer to the environs.

Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin is a Level III NICU, providing complex care for newborns who are experiencing difficulties — such as babies arriving sooner than expected — after birth. Additionally, officials explained, the NICU at Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin is also supported by pediatric specialists at Dell Children’s Medical Center.

Despite the jolly old elf's busy schedule, he took time to visit Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin with his wife in tow — bringing joy and hope when both have been in short supply. Photo courtesy of Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin.

Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin officials noted the site is equipped to safely protect patients from potential exposure to COVID-19 while tending to their health care needs. Separate intake and care areas, waiting room distancing, universal masking, staff screening, ongoing use of personal protective equipment, as well as extensive safety and sanitization protocols, are in place to ensure all patients are cared for in a protected environment, officials assured.

Moreover, Ascension Seton continuously monitors guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and adjusts safety practices and safeguards accordingly.

Despite the jolly old elf's busy schedule, he took time to visit Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin with his wife in tow — bringing joy and hope when both have been in short supply. Photo courtesy of Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin.

All that is lost on the city's newest residents, blissfully unaware of the challenges that visited us this year — the constant handwashing, the mask wearing, the physical distancing, the loss, however temporary, of life's little pleasures such as dining at a restaurant or downing a pint or two at the neighborhood pub. Also: That recently developed fear emerging when someone coughs or sneezes nearby or, conversely, the dirty and/or concerned looks one gets when doing so near others.

Yet life inexorably continues. And while the infants won't likely remember Santa's visit, they will have a souvenir of their coming into the world while yielding joy and attendant smiles to their parents when such human commodities have been in short supply amid the myriad challenges of 2020.