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Friends of Children helps in many areas
By Pat Chisholm
So many children require specialized medical attention these days or so it appears.
Cranbrook, with the opening of the Kootenay Childhood Development Centre, now has pediatricians and a host of other programs such as the Infant Development Program supporting children and their parents. Speech and language pathologists are among the specialists Cranbrook is lucky to have close to home. Due to new technology referrals to nonlocal doctors or agencies can be accessed through video conferencing keeping costs down and treatment local.
However, there are times when a child needs to be treated elsewhere because our medical services simply cannot handle the situation – a premature baby airlifted to Kelowna, a child with a severe head injury flown to Vancouver, cancer treatments with a six-month hospital stay in Calgary are just a few of the situations where children and their families needed to access care beyond our community.
In 2012, East Kootenay children attended 1,334 medical appointments and were hospitalized on 114 occasions in Alberta alone.
Families accessing medical services for their children face stress, anxiety, life disruptions and financial hardship. The average cost for a Cranbrook family for a one-day medical appointment in Calgary is $320 including gas, accommodation, parking and food. Some families may be able to afford a single visit; however, for those children requiring follow up appointments and ongoing specialized medical services over an extended period of time, the financial burden becomes significant.
The registered charity, Friends of Children supports East Kootenay families with financial assistance for items such as accommodation, travel costs, parking, and meals. By the end of October 2014, Friends of Children received 172 family requests and approved $35,000 in funding. This represents a 30% increase from 2013.
In addition to providing financial assistance, Friends of Children also helps families navigate the health care system by offering information, resources and coordination of services using links with other organizations.
Through Friends of Children, families become aware of: accommodations supports such as the BC Family Residence Program, Ronald McDonald and Easter Seal Houses, connections at children’s hospitals like Family Resource Centres and social workers and other charities including Variety, Hope Air, Shriners Care Cruiser, Cops for Kids and Canadian Cancer Society. In this way, Friends of Children addresses the entire needs of the family.
Should your child or a child you know be facing travel for medical care, please do not hesitate to contact Friends of Children at: Toll Free: 1-866-564-2217 or visit our website: www.friendsofchildren.ca or email: [email protected]
– This article submitted by the Cranbrook Early Years Committee. The committee meets the 1st Tuesday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m. at Cranbrook Family Connections (209-16Ave N, beside Memorial Arena). New members are always welcome. Visit www.ekids.ca for information about programs. For more information about the committee, contact Shannon at [email protected]
