Giving Back

Going Places

The Senior Impact Project supports programs that keep people moving.

Carle Foundation Hospital, as part of its community benefit efforts, is addressing the most pressing health-related needs of low-income senior residents in our community. In 2007, we set aside funds for the creation of a Senior Impact Project. Now we are collaborating with and providing targeted support to local organizations that enrich the lives of this segment of our older population. In designing the project, we solicited input from representatives of local human service agencies and then identified from their comments six areas on need in which we believed we could make a positive impact. In this issue of BetterLiving, we will examine the first of these: Transportation.

The need

The community representatives we consulted spoke of a growing need among local seniors, especially those with limited incomes, for transportation assistance with medical appointments, shopping trips, social events and other errands. Some seniors are unable to drive for health reasons or due to losing their license. Others are unable to afford a car or the high price of gas. Certain areas have also seen cutbacks in bus service, which has negatively impacted seniors who depend on public transportation for mobility. As a result, there is an ongoing need for willing volunteers to provide essential rides for seniors.

The help

In order to meet these needs, Carle through its Senior Impact Project, gave $79,500 of financial assistance to two local organizations that play a vital role in senior mobility. Family Services of Champaign County focuses on those living
within Champaign-Urbana and provided 2,500 rides last year. With support from Carle, this senior transportation service will be expanded and enhanced. Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, through its Rural Rider program, provides services to residents of outlying areas. Last year, they provided more than 1,000 rides, keeping rural seniors connected and providing them with a vital life line that allows them to continue living independently.

The benefit

Besides ensuring that seniors can remain in good health through regular doctor’s visits, these programs provide a host of other benefits. One effect of a lack of transportation is a sense of isolation,  can be closely linked to other negative feelings such as helplessness and even depression. Some seniors feel awkward having to depend on friends or family members to take them places. All of these feelings can be alleviated by the presence of community-based transportation programs. A ride is not simply a way of getting from A to B – drivers provide a valuable social contact for those they transport. And this goes both ways, says Jo Erickson, volunteer coordinator for the Council of Congregations, an organization that provides volunteer drivers. Erickson, herself a volunteer driver for 12 years, says, “You meet a lot of interesting people, and of course it’s very satisfying to feel that you are truly helping someone out, filling a need.” If you would like to inquire about rides for seniors, call Family Service of Champaign County at (217) 352-5100 or Champaign County Regional Planning Commission at (217) 328-3313, Ext. 183.

One Step Closer to Home

Donations help create nursery for neonatal intensive care graduates.

Megan Cross knows first-hand the importance of the neonatal intensive care unit. Not only is she an RN in Carle’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), but she is also the aunt of a former 24-week preemie.

Last year alone, Megan helped care for hundreds of babies and their families in Carle Foundation Hospital’s NICU. Her tiny patients come from as far south as Kentucky and as far east as Indiana. “It’s not unusual for our NICU to be more than 90 percent full,” Megan says, noting that the hospital’s current unit provides space for 25 neonatal intensive care beds and three intermediate care beds. An additional six intermediate care beds are available on the obstetrical floor when needed.

Carle Foundation Hospital is a designated Co-Perinatal Center approved by the state to offer Level III services to mothers with high-risk pregnancies and babies who are pre-term or ill. Even though the hospital’s current NICU is only two years old, Carle Foundation Hospital leaders quickly realized more beds were needed to care for those babies who no longer needed the highest level of neonatal care.

In December 2007, The Carle Foundation Board of Trustees unanimously approved the use of $500,000 in unrestricted charitable donations to help the hospital remodel its old NICU and establish a 15-bed nursery dedicated to less critical neonatal care. The new $3.6 million nursery is designed to be identical to the hospital’s Level III nursery.

With less hustle and bustle, the new step-down NICU allows parents to feel as though their infant has “graduated” and moved closer to that much anticipated discharge date. The focus becomes education and parent involvement, helping the families to familiarize themselves with the care their infant requires.

“We want the parents to view the move as a less critical phase of their infant’s stay, giving them time to relax and focus on bonding, feeding and growing,” Megan explains. “The anticipation of my nephew’s graduation to the step-down nursery was almost as gratifying as his actual discharge!”