Children's Hospital Los Angeles looking for professional cuddlers for neonatal ICU

Children's Hospital Los Angeles is looking for volunteer baby coddlers for a new program it is launching. 

The Koala Corps Initiative is a new volunteer program at CHLA that is looking to provide critical love and care to babies in the neonatal Intensive Care Unit. 

There's no question that at any given hospital, the neonatal ICU has babies in need of medical car. 

But babies also need love and comfort and unfortunately some may not have parents available. 

"It was really hard as a parent to try to be bedside 100 percent of the time and sometimes we would miss," Dan Granger told CBSLA Reporter Rick Montanez.

That is one of the reasons why Granger and his wife created Koala Corps, with the goal of having TLC readily available for the babies already going through a lot.

Sixteen years ago after his daughter Shea was born, she spent six months at CHLA where she underwent a dozen surgeries before ever going home.

Granger and his wife have been busy working toward a $257,000 goal to fund the volunteer coddler program at CHLA, with a little help from their inspiration: their daughter.

Over the years, as the Grangers have returned to CHLA with Shea, they have continued to build the framework for Koala Corps with the help of Dan Granger's employer, Oxford Road, a local advertising company.

"Finally, there's going to be someone who can train, schedule and manage the program and make sure that any child in a bed who is lonely and afraid and suffering has hands to hold them and somebody to care for them and comfort them," Dan Granger said.

With doctors and nurses focused on providing medical care, it can be difficult to offer a coddler for the babies when their parents aren't available. But soon, volunteers can step in when parents have to step out.   

"These are the most vulnerable people in our community and we're able to give something to them and that's a great gift for all of us," Dan Granger said.

The Granger family hopes to make initiative a long term program for CHLA but can use some help.

If you'd like to contribute a donation to Koala Corps or become a Koala Corps volunteer, you can do so by clicking here or going to Seen on TV.