Grant Awards to Serve Community Needs
Grant partnerships make it possible for Rush-Copley to live its promise of providing extraordinary patient service each and every time. This promise is one that cannot be achieved without the involvement of numerous stakeholders who share in a common ideology that “together, we can make a difference.”
Rush-Copley Foundation gratefully acknowledges the many different grant partners who have intentionally chosen to invest in projects, programs, and initiatives that are elevating, enhancing, and transforming the health and wellness of the communities Rush-Copley is privileged to serve. What follows are examples of the wonderful way in which, “together, we can make a difference,” is being realized.
Women's Health | Community Safety Programs | Healthcare for the Underserved | Medical Education | Pediatric Health
Women's Health: Caring for Grandmothers, Mothers, Daughters, and Sisters
Susan G. Komen For the Cure
In April, 2012, Rush-Copley Foundation received a $75,000 grant from the Chicagoland Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. This represents the second consecutive year of support the foundation has awarded to Rush-Copley’s breast health education and support services. The 2012 grant will support a new program, called Help for You: Breast Cancer Education and Assistance. The program ensures that breast cancer screenings and treatment support services are accessible to minority and low-income women throughout Kane County. Rush-Copley will assist these women in obtaining screening appointments, provide bilingual breast cancer support groups and referrals to peer mentoring programs. Finally, women who have completed breast cancer treatment will receive individualized counseling and group education about healthy lifestyles and follow-up care to minimize their risk of cancer recurrence. By assisting women at each step of the continuum of care, Rush-Copley will work to reduce disparities in breast cancer morbidity and mortality among the vulnerable populations in our community.
March of Dimes Illinois State Chapter
In February, 2012, the
Illinois Chapter of the March of Dimes awarded a one-year grant of
$33,700 to Rush-Copley Foundation to increase the rate and duration of
exclusive breastfeeding among the 3,400 women who deliver their babies
at Rush-Copley Medical Center each year. The grant will cover increased
staffing levels to ensure that breastfeeding support is available to
100% of new mothers in Rush-Copley's Family Birth Center and Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit. Lactation consultants and Peer Counselors will educate area
pediatricians and expectant parents about ways to ensure a healthy
pregnancy and prevent prematurity, as well as the benefits of exclusive
breastfeeding. Other grant-funded activities will include a new weekly
breastfeeding support group and proactive calls to new mothers to answer
questions or address problems they may be having with breastfeeding.
The grant is expected to benefit more than 3,000 mothers and their
babies in 2012.
Walmart Foundation
In December, 2011, Walmart, located at 2131 W. Galena Blvd. in Aurora, awarded a $5,000 grant
to Rush-Copley Foundation for the “Pláticas para Mujeres / Latina Talks”
program. The grant will enable Rush-Copley to offer monthly free
health education sessions in Spanish, emphasizing healthy lifestyles and
disease prevention. This program, launched in 2009 with funding from
the Cardinal Health Foundation, has already educated more than 150
Hispanic women annually through evening sessions at the Prisco Community
Center. Topics have included diabetes, arthritis, fitness, nutrition,
heart disease, breast cancer and menopause. More than 95% of
participants have given the program or instructor one of the top two
ratings. Local nursing students provide free childcare for participants
with young children. The Walmart store at Route 59 in Naperville also
contributed $250 to this project in 2011.
Illinois Department of Public Health
In August 2009, Rush-Copley Foundation received a one-year grant
award of $25,000 from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Office
of Women’s Health. Grant funding will be used to support implementation
of the Heart Smart for Women education program. Goals of the Heart
Smart for Women program are to identify women at risk for cardiovascular
disease and educate them on risk factors to promote healthy preventive
behaviors.
Cardinal Health Foundation
In November 2008, Rush-Copley Foundation received a one-year grant
award of $10,000 from Cardinal Health Foundation to support, Latina
Talks, a community service health promotion project for Latina women and
their families. The vision of Latina Talks is to activate and empower
the Latina women of Aurora to take chare of the physical and emotional
well-being to optimize lifelong health and wellness.
Community Safety Programs: Protecting Precious Cargo
Illinois Department of Transportation
In September 2011, Rush-Copley Foundation received a grant award of $126,620 from Illinois Department of Transportation. Grant funding support will be used to coordinate the Regional Traffic Safety Resource Center. The Center oversees and manages car seat safety outreach, awareness, and education to children and their families throughout the community. Goals of the Center are to increase safety belt usage among adults and teens and increase proper installation of child passenger seats.
Healthcare for the Underserved: Building Bridges to Ensure Equal Access to High-Quality Healthcare
Blowitz-Ridgeway
In August 2011, Rush-Copley Foundation received a $10,000 grant from Blowitz-Ridgeway to continue to expand the Rush-Copley Diabetes Education Program, Moving on to Health. Two prior grants in June 2008 and 2010 from the Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation supported the launch of this valuable program which provides education, outreach, and support services to uninsured patients managing diabetes.
Medical Education: Ensuring a Highly Skilled Healthcare Workforce
Dunham Fund
Now entering its fourth and final year, Rush-Copley Foundation is administering a $750,000 grant award from the Dunham Fund to support implementation of the Dunham Nursing Scholars: Advancing Nursing in Aurora education program. The program involves the collaborative partnership of academic and healthcare organizations that include Aurora University, Waubonsee Community College, Alden of Waterford, Dreyer Medical Clinic, Kane County Health Department, Provena Mercy, Rush-Copley Foundation, and Rush-Copley Medical Center. The purpose of the Dunham Nursing Scholars—Advancing Nursing in Aurora program is to offer 121 merit-based scholarships to highly motivated students and nurses whose primary residence or place of employment is the greater Aurora area to pursue and achieve their academic and professional goals in healthcare. The Nursing Scholarship Program provides two-year scholarships to qualified individuals pursuing an associate degree in nursing, a baccalaureate in nursing, or a graduate degree in nursing at Waubonsee Community College or Aurora University.
One of the educational goals of the Nursing Scholarship Program is to develop the critical thinking skills of nurses and enhance their ability to identify patient needs to prevent complications and provide high-quality outcomes in diverse healthcare environments.
Pediatric Health: Investing in our Future
The Dunham Fund
In March 2009, Rush-Copley Foundation received $15,000 as a third place recipient of the Dunham Fund’s Challenge for Change grant competition. Funding will be used to support school-based enhancements of the Rush-Copley Family Medicine Binary Health Integration Project (B-HIP).
Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation
In December 2008, Rush-Copley Foundation received a two-year grant award of $450,865 for implementation of Be Happy, Involved and Positive (BHIP) within Rush-Copley’s Family Medicine Residency Program. Funding support will be used to integrate mental health into the continuum of services offered to children and families seeking treatment in a primary care setting. The project involves the collaboration of clinical and industry leaders with specialty in primary care, behavioral health, psychiatry, education, human services, research, and policy. The grant award offers project leaders the opportunity to work collaboratively to streamline the delivery of mental health treatment and support services for children and adolescents. The goal of the grant award is to promote the effective identification, coordination, and treatment of pediatric mental health problems to help children achieve an optimal state of physical and emotional well-being because It’s Hip To Be Healthy in Body and Mind.
Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Area
In August 2006, Rush-Copley Foundation received a one-year grant award of $25,000 for the purchase of state-of-the-art cardiorespiratory monitoring equipment for infants requiring specialized care in the medical center’s Level III-designated neonatal intensive care unit. The equipment enabled Rush-Copley to continue offering the highest quality care to the tiniest and most critically ill infants.
