HealthLinks Upstate Jan/Feb 2022
60 | www.Ups tatePhys i c i ansSC . com | www.Hea l thL i nksUps tate. com HEALTHL INKS IS PROUD TO PARTNER WITH THESE UPSTATE AREA NONPROFITS OFFERS FREE SERVICES TO CHILDREN WITH MEDICAL NEEDS Imagine for a moment that you are the loving parent of a young child. Living in South Carolina, you are more apt to be a single parent than almost anywhere else in the United States. Here, you are also at greater risk of having a baby with a low birth weight who may also have some health complications. The stress and strain of the pandem- ic have further complicated your life. Economic instability and less-than- ideal child-care opportunities affect 40% to 43% of this state’s families. The Children’s Trust of South Carolina reports that 150,000 children are being negatively impacted by these factors as well as by lack of health insurance and access to health care. You know you need to work to keep a roof over your head, attend school or to maintain your career track, but child care can be very difficult to find, even when your child is healthy. Now imagine that your child has significant health issues that require knowledgeable management. Immedi- ately, you fall to the bottom of the list at most child-care centers, who may feel ill-equipped for such responsibility. What about Grandma or the family next door or the lady down the street who takes in everyone’s kids? Do you feel comfortable that any of these options will provide the kind of quality care you have been giving your child? Enter CRAwl, an innovative pilot pro- gram created and co-directed by Kate Chappell, Ph.D., APRN, CPNP-PC, and Victoria Davis, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, both associate professors at the Univer - sity of South Carolina College of Nursing. With funding for this pilot program provided by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Birth-to-5 Preschool Development Grant, Dr. Chappell and Davis are busy these days writing curriculum and creating instructional teaching videos, which are freely available to child-care pro- viders, individual child-care workers and families with children who have significant health issues but do not qualify for other programs. For the parent of a young child with diabetes, a neuromuscular dis- ease, cardiac or respiratory problems, severe allergies, a G-tube, a colosto- my, a catheter or a seizure disorder, finding qualified child care can be daunting. Sometimes, the caregiver will be a family member or friend who may be intimidated by the pros- pect of managing the child’s unique medical needs correctly. Yet, without adequate day care, parents can’t get back to work with any peace of mind. The answer is incredibly simple: Train the caregiver exactly how to meet the specific health care needs of the child. Designed for youngsters from birth to age 5, CRAwl offers a free assessment of what specific care needs are necessary, easy-to-un- derstand 30- to 60-minute training modules for each condition or disease and a virtual or in-person follow-up visit to offer additional customized support. A licensed nurse or nurse practitioner makes the home or day care visits. By Janet E. Perrigo Lydia Helmick Palmer Victoria Davis Kate Chappell Photo by Lonnie Rosier Photo by Lonnie Rosier Photo by Lonnie Rosier
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