Kadlec Foundation Receives $23,500 in Grants in March

Kadlec Foundation was awarded three grants totaling $23,500 in March for equipment in the area’s only level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and for the Kadlec Academy program. 

Grant awards are as follows:

• $20,000 from The Wildhorse Foundation towards the purchase of NICU beds
• $2,000 from Northwest Farm Credit Services towards the purchase of NICU beds
• $1,500 from Walmart Kennewick towards the Kadlec Academy after school health program

NICU Beds

Some current beds in Kadlec’s level III neonatal intensive care unit are aging beyond repair. The NICU cares for our region’s smallest and most fragile premature infants and having the best technology available is a responsibility the medical center takes very seriously. In response, Kadlec Regional Medical Center submitted a grant request to Kadlec Foundation to fund five new beds (three OmniBeds and two radiant warmers) to replace the older units initiating a small capital campaign by Kadlec Foundation to donors for the over $126,000 project.

Three of the requested beds are OmniBeds which are necessary in the first 30 days of a preemie’s stay for temperature, humidity and sound control as premature infants are not able to adequately acclimatize to the natural environment. The beds also have monitoring equipment, ease patient transferring, and have an in-bed scale and a specialized mattress; all of which make it easier to access and treat the infant – ultimately making the stay safer and more comfortable for the patient and family. The OmniBeds convert to radiant warmers once the infant is able to be in an environment with the bed’s hood raised.

The grant awards from The Wildhorse Foundation and Northwest Farm Credit Services add towards the total cost of the beds with a grant funded in late 2018 by the Beverly J. Jewell Foundation in the amount of $50,000. The remainder of the project will be paid through the Pediatric Champions fund which is made up primarily through proceeds from Kadlec Foundation’s Kidz Dig Rigz event held every May. 

Kadlec Academy

Kadlec Academy is a free four-week, after school program targeted to students in grades 1 through 5 throughout the Tri-Cities. A program coordinator and countless volunteers help to educate students on the brain, lungs, heart and nutrition with the goal of teaching life-long healthy living. Each session includes hands-on education, exercise and a healthy snack. The Walmart grant will be used to help fund program expenses like equipment and nutrition for the elementary students.

Kadlec and Kadlec Foundation are extremely grateful to The Wildhorse Foundation, Northwest Farm Credit Services and Walmart for supporting our efforts to elevate community health. It is only because of our generous donors that we are able to continue to meet the philanthropic needs of Kadlec, the only not-for-profit hospital system in our community.

For more information on supporting these projects, email Nikki.Ostergaard@kadlec.org or call (509) 942-2661. Find us online at www.kadlec.org/foundation.