The high morbidity of these diseases has a significant impact for the neonate, their parents, and society in general. Neonatal survivors of critical illness who are without obvious neurologic injury have been found later to have lower IQ's, increased behavioral problems, decreased ability to perform normal activities of daily living, decreased scholastic abilities, and decreased health-related quality of life compared to healthy children. The economic burden to the parents and society from the care of these neonatal illnesses can be astounding. For example, the economic costs of neonatal healthcare alone can increase 32-71% when a critically ill neonate has NEC compared to appropriately matched controls without NEC. Adjusted for inflation to the year 2005, an additional expense of approximately $281,666 is expected for every NEC survivor prior to discharge from the NICU (equivalent to $8.45 million per year for a single large healthcare center). Similarly, the continued healthcare costs of critically ill neonates even after discharge can be insurmountable. Children who were survivors of a critical illness as a premature neonate have been shown to require increased utilization of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) resources (e.g., mechanical ventilation), increased length of ICU care, and more frequent readmission to the PICU compared to other PICU patients.