UMC issued the following story written by Annie Oeth.
A place where Children’s of Mississippi patients with medically complex
conditions can live and where families can get the training needed to
provide care at home will be under construction in 2021. A
groundbreaking for the facility, the first of its kind in Mississippi,
was held Tuesday, with state and medical leaders in attendance.
The
home, designed for patients who need skilled, sometimes
around-the-clock nursing care due to the complexity of their medical
conditions, will be built in a wooded area off Eastwood Drive in
Jackson, minutes from the University of Mississippi Medical Center
campus.
“This
is the start of something new, historic and very close to all of our
hearts,” said Guy Giesecke, CEO of Children’s of Mississippi. “We have
patients at our children’s hospital who could live in a more home-like
space if skilled nursing care was available. We want for these patients
what we want for all children: health, happiness and for them to reach
their full potential.”
The
idea of such a home took root when Deborah Bryant, wife of Gov. Phil
Bryant, met Children’s of Mississippi patient DeAsia Scott, who has
lived at the state’s only children’s hospital since being seriously
injured in a car accident as a young child.
The
two met during one of the First Lady’s visits to the children’s
hospital. “I had no idea there were children who had been there most of
their lives, and that just broke my heart,” Bryant said.
Gov.
Phil Bryant, who introduced his wife in the ceremony, said the founding
of the facility has been a meaningful cause to them.
“My
desire was that DeAsia would be able to have a home someday,” Deborah
Bryant said. “DeAsia and I would start talking about it, and I would
tell her, ‘DeAsia, we’re going to get you a home someday.’ She said, ‘Do
you promise?’ Well, if I make a promise, I’m going to keep it.”
Dr.
Mary Taylor, Suzan B. Thames Chair, professor and chair of pediatrics,
said the home will be an integral part of Children’s of Mississippi, the
pediatric arm of UMMC that includes the state’s only children’s
hospital as well as clinics around the state.
“We
have a special group of patients who need this facility,” she said. “We
will give them and other children the care they need in a more homelike
atmosphere.”
The
facility is being funded through bonds authorized by state legislation
as well as through philanthropy. Mississippi Rep. Alyce G. Clarke was
honored by name in the legislation for her efforts on such projects.
While
the facility will be a skilled nursing facility, the space will have a
home-like atmosphere, with areas for dinners and programs indoors, and
outdoor space for recreation.
“I
always had a vision that I wanted some place in the country, a house in
the country for these kids to get to,” said Bryant. “I want them to see
the birds and see the trees.”
When
the architectural renderings of the facility were unveiled in Tuesday’s
ceremony, William Currie, one of the patients who would benefit from
it, let out a shout of joy.
“William, you are all about smiles,” responded Deborah Bryant. “You will be our cheerleader.”
Dr.
Christian Paine, chief of pediatric palliative care at UMMC, said the
facility will be a home for his Children’s of Mississippi patients who
have been unable to leave hospital care, but he notes that the true need
may not be known yet.
“This
may be a case of ‘If you build it, they will come,’” Paine said. “Once
this center is open and available, we may find more patients in the
state and region in need of this level of care.”
Conditions
of patients will vary, he said. Some who will live at the center have
been injured in accidents, while others have congenital or genetic
conditions. Some may be dependent on technology such as ventilators or
feeding tubes to survive and often rely on wheelchairs.
Families
will be a valued part of the care team, Paine said. Through the
facility, families can get the training needed for home care, and for
patients whose conditions require a higher level of care, families will
be welcomed for visits.
Nurse
practitioner Regina Qadan applauds the facility plans, saying it will
allow palliative care patients a chance to enjoy the pleasures of home.
“The
children of complex care are so much more than their medical
conditions,” she said. “They are brave, resilient, amazing and are so
loved. … This home is what they need, and more importantly, what they
dream of.”
While
some of these patients may not fully recover, Paine said, this facility
will be a home for them. “That is the center of palliative medicine,”
he said. “We want these children to have a place to call home and to
have good lives.”
11 comments:
How is this being paid for?
Would never let my child go here. I want my child to live.
There was talk at first of using the existing buildings at Calvary Baptist Church in Jackson for this.
I thought Calvary had been repurposed as a soup kitchen.
7:44 Thanks for showing your ignorance. Three of the four children shown in the photos taken with the governor at the ceremony have been living at UMMC since the early to mid 2000's.
The YouTube video that Mrs. Bryant posted will bring tears to your eyes - if you have a soul.
https://youtu.be/8ysgUi9GA8Y
This Children’s home will be a blessing for those that are unfortunate enough to need it.
Thank you Mrs. Bryant for leading this effort.
Phil still searching for a legacy.
Mizzus Brant, bless her heart, does jess what her handlers tell her to to bolster Feel's legacy.
9:13, how much has that cost and who paid it?
8:39 Unfortunately UMMC doesn't do brain transplants. Do a little research and you'll find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Maybe if you were not so lazy, you wouldn't be dependent on others helping you get by in life. https://growchildrens.org/default2017.aspx
To the person who said he thought Calvary was a soup kitchen... It is alive and well. Come visit sometime!
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