IU Health Foundation grants more than $1 million for 29 projects across the state

Thanks to funding from IU Health Foundation and its annual Regional Grants Program, 29 health-related initiatives, valued at $1,051,574, will be piloted across the state in 2022. The program grants financial support to IU Health team members throughout the IU Health system who have innovative ideas on how to improve the health of Indiana residents. Their ideas align with the Foundation’s funding priorities of People, Progress and Partnership, as well as with local priorities. Since the program launched in 2018, nearly $2 million has been invested in team member initiatives.

"It’s exciting to see the impact our donors can have all across Indiana and in their own backyards," said IU Health Foundation President Crystal Hinson Miller, MA, FAHP, CFRE. "With these grants, we bring the full force of philanthropy into communities throughout Indiana."

The awards were made in partnership with local philanthropy councils supporting IU Health and range from $3,000 to $300,000. The following are descriptions of individual grants, including the needs they will meet and the regions they will benefit. 

IU Health Adult Academic Health Center (AAHC), Indianapolis – $618,000

Includes IU Health Methodist Hospital, IU Health University Hospital, IU Health Simon Cancer Center, IU Health Neuroscience Center

• AAHC International Nursing Program – $167,104 to expand the nursing pipeline with diverse talent
• Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit (MSTU) – $285,896 to operate with greater frequency and improve outcomes for more stroke patients in Indiana
• Team Member Appreciation – $100,000 to support team member engagement and recruitment efforts
• Hospitalist Hero – $65,000 to fund a calming and comfortable space for AAHC hospitalist providers

East Central Region – $81,820

Includes IU Health Ball Memorial, IU Health Blackford and IU Health Jay hospitals. Unless specified, the grant benefits the entire region.

• Contingency Management, IU Health Ball Memorial and IU Health Jay hospitals – $11,820 to support patients struggling with substance use disorder on a path to recovery
• Blackford County Public Library Outdoor Classroom – $20,000 to support social development and well-being for children through physical fitness and imaginative play
• Community Partnership for Chronic Disease Management – $50,000 for greater access to treatment for individuals with chronic diseases 
  

Indianapolis Suburban Region – $122,025

Includes IU Health North, IU Health Saxony, IU Health Tipton and IU Health West hospitals, and the IU Health Joe & Shelly Schwarz Cancer Center. Unless specified, the grant benefits the entire region.

• LGBTQ+ Boot Camp – $10,000 to support team members’ knowledge and experience with LGBTQ+ community members and the health disparities they face
• Surgical Services Onboarding Resources – $19,500 to support the recruitment of perioperative nurses and use of technology supported learning
• Home Healthcare and Hospice Recruitment - $12,500 to support recruitment of LPNs who are enrolled in an LPN-to-RN transition program
• Speech Pathology Clinic Opportunities for Growth, IU Health Tipton Hospital – $6,051 to expand assessments, materials and training for more personalized care of pediatric and adult patients
• Touch2Play Carts, IU Health Tipton Hospital– $12,589 for entertainment carts to support a more welcoming environment for waiting families and pediatric patients.
• Pain Science Grant for Patients with Parkinson’s Disease, IU Health Tipton Hospital – $3,000 to help patients manage their pain with less medication
• Better Birth, IU Health North Hospital – $5,015 to help improve outcomes for laboring mothers with physiologic birth strategies
• Childbirth Education, IU Health North Hospital – $15,000 for increased access to childbirth and educational programs for families
  
• Team Member Retreat Space, IU Health West Hospital – $6,630 that will help frontline heroes take a physical and mental break and decompress from the high demands of patient care
• High Fidelity Simulation, IU Health West Hospital – $11,940 to enable pediatric caregivers to simulate practical skills and clinical decision-making with the use of high-fidelity micro-preemie mannequins
• Surgery is Not So Scary, IU Health West Hospital – $10,000 to leverage many best practices in use across the system and provide comfort for kids before surgery
  
• Emergency Department Clothes to Home, IU Health West Hospital – $9,800 will provide patients leaving the emergency room with clean clothes to wear home after they are discharged   

South Central Region – $94,750

Includes IU Health Bedford, IU Health Bloomington, IU Health Morgan and IU Health Paoli hospitals. Unless specified, the grant benefits the entire region.

• Coordinated School Health Expansion – $50,000 will expand an evidence-based prevention program in high schools in Lawrence and Orange counties to help teens develop lifelong healthy lifestyles
  
• Indiana Prevention Center Remote Patient Monitoring Pilot Program – $20,000 to pilot the use of novel technologies for the prevention of atherosclerosis-related illnesses
• Calming Therapy, IU Health Bedford Hospital – $14,750 to support patients and reduce instances of agitation and aggression during ER visits, hospitalizations and treatment
  
• Behavioral Health through Bibliotherapy, IU Health Bloomington – $10,000 will equip patients with access to books as a supplemental learning when paired with traditional behavioral health services
  

West Central Region – $134,979

Includes IU Health Arnett, IU Health White Memorial and IU Health Frankfort hospitals. Unless specified, the grant benefits the entire region.

• Tobacco Cessation – $9,900 will support patients with evidence-based counseling support to be paired with nicotine replacement
• Power of Experience – $10,000 will support appreciation and engagement experiences for frontline team members and clinicians
• West Central Regional Career Center – $45,000 to support a "one-stop-shop" for team members, leaders and community members to learn about healthcare professional development opportunities
• Enhancements to RN Transition to Practice – $30,000 for an e-simulation curriculum to help new RNs in first-year transition to practice
• Promise Dashboard Culture Development - $35,000 for leadership development
• Safe Space for Pediatrics, IU Health Arnett Hospital – $5,079 to support the creation of a pediatric patient treatment room

Applications for 2022 grants cycle will open May 31 –June 28.