Friends provided $272,000 in support this year. Friends was once again able to open its grant application to outside organizations who’s work directly impacts UW Health’s patients.
Examples of programs and projects within UW Health supported by a grant from Friends:
- Patient and Family Housing Fund. Provides hotel rooms for patients and families who lack financial resources.
- Patient Assistance Fund: assisting the most under-served and under-insured patients with housing insecurity, food insecurity, medication, transportation and basic household needs such as cribs.
- Daily delivery of USA Today newspapers on patient breakfast trays to all inpatient units.
- DisposeRx single use drug disposal packets for surgical transitional care program patients to safely dispose of any extra opioids.
- Blood Pressure cuffs for low income Kidney Clinic and Heart and Vascular Clinic patients.
- Golf Cart to assist patients and visitors who have misplaced their vehicle in the parking lot.
- Wii and X Box games for the American Family Children’s Hospital Orthopedics and Rehabilitation patients to help with motivation to participate in therapy.
- Activities to reduce anxiety and depression for inpatient Cystic Fibrosis patients.
- Palliative Care Comfort and Healing Toolbox for the outpatient palliative care clinic. This includes a variety of supplies for distraction, legacy building to support and aid families in their grief and bereavement process through healthy coping practices.
- Infant CPR kits to educate families on infant CPR so they feel safe taking their infants home after discharge.
- Noise cancelling headphones for infusion center patients.
- Multicultural and diverse toys for the Outpatient Pediatric Rehabilitation Department, so children can see themselves in the toys used for their therapy sessions.
- Cognitive Stimulation Activities for Patients with Dementia or Delirium: this type of intervention restores disordered thinking through meaningful engagement in simple activities and also keeps hands and minds busy helping distract patients from picking at necessary IV lines, tubing and dressings.
- Sara Steady to assist patients and visitors that need assistance getting in and out of vehicles at UW Health at The American Center.