Impact

Here are several ways that Save A Heart supports and has supported patients and families:

• Supporting our congenital heart community

o Events to bring families together, such as patient reunions, and meetings for patients with ICDs

o Bereavement cards

• Helping make the care experience easier for patients and families

o Buzzy – to give our providers access to a tool for making pokes easier

o Masks with clear space for a smile – to help parents bond with a critically ill child

o Child Life support – for fun and coping

o Virtual care equipment at the hospital – to support remote access to appointments

• Strengthening patient and family education

o Heart Guidebook – to help guide families throughout their care experience

o Prenatal Heart Program educational materials (in development)

o Neurodevelopmental care video – to educate families on their infant’s developmental needs

o Book Babies – to enable research to provide our “littlest victors” and their families with the opportunity for shared read aloud time during their hospital stay. This experience encourages interactions leading to stronger neurodevelopmental outcomes.

• Supporting families in need

o Your donations assist both adult and pediatric patients with navigation of non-medical needs they may face while receiving medical care at Michigan Medicine. The focus of your contribution is on barriers to care— things that would impact health such as accessing care and maintaining treatment. For patients and families who meet financial need and federal criteria, our Social Work team may be able to provide support for items such as:

• Costs for medications, supplies and equipment

• Lodging assistance

• Meal assistance

• Transportation assistance

• Durable medical equipment/supplies

• Advancing research

o Proceeds have helped advance critical research, including projects that seek to better protect infants’ lungs after surgery, determine post-surgery and post-transplant risk factors, and identify neurodevelopmental and behavioral issues in congenital heart patients and families. We’re also studying the impact of COVID-19 on congenital heart patients.