At a recent meeting of the Suburban Chicago Planned Giving Council, I met Monika Pandya, who is involved with Advancement for CoACH Care Center. During the meeting, I discovered that CoACH Care Center (soon to be called Almost Home Kids™) works every day with kids who have special needs. I couldn't resist finding out more, and Monika was kind enough to invite me over for a tour of their facility.
Wow! I was so impressed with the services provided by CoACH Care Center, I had to let you know what they do. CoACH is located at 7 S. 721 Route 53, Naperville, IL 60540. Their main phone number is 630-271-9155. (Call for directions, online maps won't get it right, trust me!!).
CoACH (Coordinating Action for Children's Health) provides medical services and therapy to medically fragile children who are transitioning from hospital to home. It is a nonprofit organization, which was founded in 1999 by two moms who saw a need in the community. Since then, the organization has grown with tremendous community support and the leadership of President and CEO, Deobrah A. Grisko.
Today, CoACH can take care of 10 children in a warm home-like atmosphere. They are currently looking to expand so that they can care for up to 12 children at one time. While the children reside at CoACH, the staff teaches the parents how to care for their medically fragile children-including how to use special medical equipment and watch for signs and symptoms of problems.
Over time, parents gradually take over the care of their children under the supervision of the nursing staff while they're still in transitional care at CoAch. I was so impressed by the resources and support provided to the children and their parents at CoAch. In some cases, the children transitioning from hospital to home will completely recover from their high needs medical situation, but in other cases, the child may have special medical needs for life.
In either case, while their child is at CoACH, parents are able to identify resources in the community that will provide support once their child returns home. Monika explained that CoACH also serves as a respite center for parents who need to take a break from the daily care routine. That's why children often stay at CoACH more than once! I bet that going back to CoACH feels like a mini vacation from their day to day routine.
The care model provided by CoACH is a win-win for all involved. The insurance companies are supportive because the cost of care is much less expensive than keeping the child in a hospital, and parents love the attentive training received from the skilled nurses. The respite program saves the system by helping to keep families intact and in their own homes and out of other more costly state systems, e.g. DCFS, Family Court, Foster Care, Mental health, and Institutional Care.
The leadership at CoACH hopes that CoACH wills serve as a model for other care centers around Illinois and the nation. The good news is that they have received numerous inquiries from people in other states who would like to start similar organizations in their state.
About one-third of the organizations' budget is derived from contributed support. If you'd like to support this organization, I encourage you to contact Monika Pandya at 630-271-9155.
"Almost Home Kids" are certainly lucky kids!
© 2009 The Estate Planning Law Group.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you reference the author. For articles written by Kirsten, include everything in quotes with it: "© 2009 The Estate Planning Law Group. Written and edited by Kirsten Izatt. Kirsten's mission is to ensure that the parents of children with special needs have the information and resources they need to build a fortress of protection around their child that will last a lifetime. Get their revealing, enlightening, and sometimes even humorous "SNAP" e-zine at www.SpecialNeedsAllianceProject.com."
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