CROWN POINT, Indiana - Newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit at Franciscan Health Crown Point and their families had a special visitor this week, just in time for Christmas.

Brett Galley, MD, an Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago neonatologist practicing at Franciscan Health Crown Point, donned a Santa suit on Wednesday for visits with his tiny patients and their families. 

"I do this every year to bring a sense of normalcy and holiday joy for families that are stuck in an unplanned situation here in the NICU and just to bring a little bit of that Christmas joy to them that they otherwise might miss being here within the walls of the NICU," Dr. Galley said.

The visits allowed families to take pictures of their babies with Santa to mark their first Christmases, something they would otherwise miss due to their hospitalizations.

Elyse Nelson of Lowell was expecting to give birth to her son on January 14, 2025, but baby Henry surprised the family by coming early on December 9, 2024.

"We’ve been looking forward to this," Justin Nelson, Elyse's husband, said. "Being in here and having something to look forward to has been really nice."

Solange Regalado of Beecher, Illinois, gave birth to her son, Leo, on October 26, 2024, just 21 weeks into her pregnancy. For Regalado, the Santa visit was extra special as it came on the day Leo was finally going home.

"It's a nice little Christmas gift, going home," Regalado said. "We're super happy. (Santa) is holding our little Christmas gift."

Franciscan Health Crown Point and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago in the fall of 2022 launched a partnership that brought one of the nation's top neonatology programs to Northwest Indiana. Since then, Lurie Children's neonatologists, including Dr. Galley, have staffed the 20-bed Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Franciscan Health Crown Point, caring for the most vulnerable babies and their families close to home.

In July, Franciscan Health Crown Point and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago expanded their partnership with the addition of a Lurie Children's pediatric hospitalist to serve young patients admitted to the Crown Point hospital.

More information about the NICU and the Franciscan Health Family Birth Center Crown Point are available online or by phone at 219-757-6330. 



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Lauri Keagle
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Phone: 219-662-6662