Two $85,000 grants from Women Investing in Nebraska (WIN) will boost efforts to help victims of domestic violence and infants who spent time in a neonatal intensive care unit get needed medical assessment and treatment.
WIN announced its grants to the Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska and MMI at its 2017 grant awards celebration on Oct. 5.
Carey Hamilton of Omaha chairs WIN and noted the two grants have in common strong collaborative efforts with existing service networks and an emphasis on serving people wherever they are in Nebraska.
“WIN seeks out projects that apply bold new ideas and approaches to important issues in Nebraska. As we study grant proposals, we see many examples of amazing creativity, commitment, service and compassion,” Hamilton said.
Amy Nordness, Ph.D., director of speech-language pathology and Scottish Rite assistant professor at MMI, leads the Statewide NICU Feeding and Swallowing Follow Up program.
Dr. Nordness said newborns and infants who spend time in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) need to be monitored after dismissal to assure they are getting the nutrients they need to develop and grow.
Swallowing can be a problem for them, Dr. Nordness said, and a fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation used to detect it often involves travel to Omaha or Lincoln.
Dr. Nordness said the purchase of new portable equipment made possible with the grant funding is cost-effective, radiation-free and will enable the program to help more infants across the state.
“The earlier we support children with feeding and swallowing difficulties, the better their outcomes,” she said.
Also, many infants who spent time in the NICU participate in Tracking Infant Progress Statewide clinics, and the program’s collaboration with those clinics will help assure families are connected to additional assessments and services, she said.
“By purchasing mobile equipment and training a network of speech pathologists across Nebraska to use it, more infants may be assessed and better treatment plans created for them,” Dr. Nordness said.
Strong feeding and swallowing skills are tied to physical development as well as skills like self-calming, communication and bonding with their families, she said.
WIN is a collective giving group operating in partnership with the University of Nebraska Foundation and the UNF Charitable Gift Fund to support women philanthropists through education, engagement and empowerment. Each year, members’ gifts are pooled and divided equally between a Nebraska nonprofit organization and a University of Nebraska program or organization.