SPROUT, PETAL and BLOSSOM Deliver Unique Comprehensive Care

In 2024, three collaborative care programs at Children’s Hospital Colorado began to take root. Now, a year later, the three initiatives — SPROUT, PETAL and BLOSSOM — are flourishing, providing collaborative care and services to help children born prematurely reach developmental milestones.

Satya Houin, MD, is a neonatologist and the Medical Director of Supporting Preemie Respiratory Outcomes (SPROUT).  After joining Children’s Colorado, Dr. Houin noticed there was a group of premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with respiratory issues that result in very long hospital stays. With attending teams who rotate in two-week blocks, families felt the care teams were turning over too often, and in the span of a baby’s early weeks, it felt too short.

“They’d feel really frustrated,” Dr. Houin explains. “Things were getting lost in translation.”

That’s when Dr. Houin and several neonatologists had an idea. What if they gathered a larger group of clinicians interested in lung disease to care for these babies and commit to discussing long-term longitudinal care? Each Tuesday, the SPROUT team meets to review, refine and individualize care for each SPROUT baby. Since the implementation of this program, parents have felt reassured by its consistency.

“I haven’t met you before, but you know my baby,” they’d remark.

On a day-to-day basis, SPROUT babies are supported by a care team that includes occupational and physical therapists, nurse practitioners, nurses, respiratory therapists and more.

As the babies continue to grow, their care evolves, particularly in managing ventilators. When babies are smaller, they are more likely to tolerate ventilators. As they get older, they can get agitated and irritable.

“We started to use more medications to keep babies comfortable. We adapted their breathing support to allow these babies to rest and grow, and hopefully, to thrive,” Dr. Houin says.

That’s where pulmonologists like Katelyn Enzer, MD, of the PETAL team step in. PETAL, which stands for Pulmonary Experts for Tiny Airways and Lungs, offers specialized expertise for infants with lung diseases, including chronic lung disease of prematurity, or bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

PETAL has a core team of pulmonologists dedicated to caring for these babies. On Tuesdays, they try to see as many SPROUT babies as possible in the NICU. This collaboration between pulmonologists and the NICU team is unique, blending specialized expertise in lung health with round-the-clock care that premature and critically ill infants require.

“It just means so much to families that we’re all really rooting for the baby and we’re really invested in their care,” Dr. Enzer says. “I’ve had families tell me Tuesdays are their favorite days of the week.”

When SPROUT babies graduate from the NICU, they can be seen in various outpatient pulmonary clinics to care for their growing lungs through the PETAL program. Together, these programs deliver collaborative and comprehensive care, which allows babies to gain strength and ultimately leave the hospital. To date, SPROUT has discharged over 100 babies.

It doesn’t end there. After the child is discharged, some may continue to receive care with support from BLOSSOM, which stands for Brightening Lives: Optimal Support for Successful Outcomes and Milestones. BLOSSOM is a NICU follow-up program that supports patients after they leave the hospital, ensuring ongoing care and guidance. Currently, BLOSSOM has one clinic day per week, and it’s one of the largest multidisciplinary clinics of its kind. BLOSSOM providers include a developmental behavioral pediatrician, pulmonologist, neurologist, rehabilitation specialists, as well as physical, occupational and speech therapists. 

“It’s a huge advantage for families. It’s good that we get to see them multiple times and grow with them,” says Annie Helms, MD, director of the BLOSSOM clinic.

In addition to a team of doctors, the BLOSSOM clinic has a social worker and psychologist who provide essential support and resources, addressing the emotional, social and practical needs of parents and families.

“Many of these families go through a lot of trauma that they are not able to fully process while they’re in the NICU,” Dr. Helms says. “We want to provide patients and their families with the necessary supports for them to have the best medical and developmental outcomes possible.”

In the coming years, Dr. Helms hopes to expand the BLOSSOM program, offering even more comprehensive care throughout a child’s life. BLOSSOM’s long-term goal is to support these kids through early school age.

Like a garden, these programs cultivate the health and development of vulnerable infants, ensuring they thrive beyond their NICU days.