Brooklyn’s Maimonides Medical Center honored the lives and progress of patients and their families of the newborn intensive care unit with a block party. 

The celebration included face-painting, raffles, food and entertainment. 

Over 300 former NICU patients were invited to Sunday’s event.  

The reunion is held every three years, but director of the NICU at Maimonides Alok Bhutada they would like to do this every year. 

“It’s a tough time when a baby is in the NICU and don’t ever want them to be forgotten,” says Bhutada. “Sometimes that gets lost when you’re just all about work, but your actually making a big difference in someone’s life just by supporting them.” 

The hospital is also celebrating their new state-of-the-art NICU facility. The staff hopes to welcome many more NICU patients and families in the future.