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How the funds are used

Every year, 12,500 children in the United States are diagnosed with cancer. Many of the treatment options are not covered by insurance and financially burden families. Luckily for families of the East Tennessee area the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital will not turn a patient and their family away due to lack of funds.

Dance Marathon raises money to put in ETCH’s Endowment fund that gives them the opportunity to not have to turn away a patient.

The money is used for big things like equipment or necessary medication for a child to survive that families cannot afford on their own. The money can also be used for smaller things like, a prom dress for a patient who couldn’t afford to go to prom without the fund’s help or “off treatment parties” that the clinic hosts when a child finishes their chemotherapy.

Below are some more specific examples of what your donations towards Dance Marathon are being used for.
These are just a few of the current needs that were taken straight from the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Website:

CADD Prism Infusion Pump – need 2 at a cost of $6,050

This small pump is about the size of an adult hand and fits easily into a small fanny pack. It allows patients to be mobile when receiving chemotherapy, Total Parenteral Nutrition or antibiotics. This computerized pump also allows patients with cancer or other serious conditions to control the administration of medication for pain management. The pump, about one-eighth the size of a standard IV pump, is used by Home Health Care patients.

Feeding pumps — need 10 at a total cost of $7,500

In Home Health Care, feeding pumps are used to feed babies and children through a tube inserted in their stomach or nose. These children have any one of many conditions where they do not take in enough nutrition orally to be able to grow properly. We currently have more than 400 patients throughout our service area who use this piece of equipment at the child’s home or carried in a small backpack when going out. The feeding pumps that Children’s Hospital Home Health Care uses are small, easy to learn about and easy to use, and therefore very family-friendly.

Mini O2 tanks — need 5 sets at a total cost of $2,000

Oxygen tanks are used to hold oxygen for patients who require this treatment. Standard tanks are large, bulky and not portable. Mini tanks are portable, allowing the patient to be able to travel away from home when needed or desired. They can easily be carried in a bag or backpack.

14″ (extra small) wheelchairs — need 5 at a total cost of $3,850

A wheelchair that does not fit a child is not only an inconvenience but also a safety hazard. In an ill-fitted wheelchair, a small child can easily fall through the gap in the backing, lose control of the chair on a ramp and or have difficulty maneuvering. Smaller chairs are not mass-produced because of low demand, causing the cost per chair to be higher than a standard adult wheelchair. But these chairs are needed to ensure safety and greater mobility for children who must use a wheelchair. The wheelchairs are for Home Health Care patients.

Ventilator Heater Humidifier — need 8 at a total cost of $8,000

These units increase humidity and temperature of the air a patient receives through a tracheotomy or through a non-invasive ventilator. The unit is attached to the ventilator. The heat and humidity it adds to the ventilator air help loosen secretions in the patient to prevent the development of airway difficulties.

Oxygen Concentrator — need 15 at a total cost of $11,250

These machines are used for patients with chronic or acute respiratory conditions. The machine takes room air (typically about 27% oxygen) and concentrates it to 96% oxygen. The concentrator minimizes the use of tanks, which are more cumbersome and dangerous. The new units will replace older units; the new ones weigh half as much and are half the size of the existing units. Home Health is buying more compact ones to replace larger ones; more are now needed because of the growing number of children on oxygen, as well as due to meth lab exposure (units that have been in a meth lab house have to be destroyed and therefore replaced instead of re-used).

Ventilator/BIPAP units — need 7 at a total cost of $65,100

These units are new on the market; they are ventilators that can be used traditionally (with a tracheotomy) or as a non-invasive ventilator (without the need for a trach). Until the development of these units, there was nothing approved by the FDA to function without a trach for children under 60 pounds; this is approved for patients as small as 11 pounds. This unit has kept several children from needing a trach.

Backpacks for Feeding Pumps – need 120 at a total cost of $6,000 ($50 each)

This backpack is for small but mobile children who do not want the hassle of having to carry a pole with a feeding pump attached to it everywhere they go. With these little backpacks, children can carry their feeding pump around on their back, because the feeding pump fits inside. The backpacks used to only come in black but are now also available in camo and floral prints, which our patients love.

Bullet Oxygen Regulators – need 50 at a total cost of $2,000 ($40 each)

This device is used to replace the existing regulator on an oxygen tank. The current device is a ball-bearing regulator which needs to be moved manually and is prone to error. The bullet regulator has large, easy to read numbers and a liter flow that “clicks” into place. Bullet regulators are easier to use, safer and more durable.

CarePages Service for Hospital Patient Families – at cost of $5,000

The Internet offers an opportunity for families to create simple web pages about a sick or injured relative. The pages can be updated as often as the family chooses, and guests to the page can see the updates about the patient anytime they access the family’s web page. This proves easier to families than having to repeat the same information through phone calls or multiple emails to different family and friends seeking updates. It is, therefore, a help and comfort to these patient families. With funds raised by the Star 102.1 Radiothon, Children’s Hospital offers CarePages for our patient families, who are able to access the service through computers in the hospital’s Family Resource Center or in their own homes. Children’s Hospital licenses CarePages, which is offered free to our patient families.