With essential hospital staff facing childcare challenges due to schools and daycares closing, the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation (ILCHF) recently awarded the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN) a $500,000 grant to help its rural hospital membership. ICAHN, which is comprised of 51 critical access and six small, rural hospitals throughout Illinois, will use these funds to help those most in need, offering the opportunity to reimburse childcare expenses to essential hospital employees that meet the grant’s criteria between the months of April and June 2020.

Iroquois Memorial Hospital, Watseka, is among the more than 30 ICAHN member hospitals that applied for ICAHN’s Essential Hospital Staff Child Care Support (EHSCCS) Initiative and will be receiving grant funding.
“These next two months will be challenging, and we are grateful that ILCHF understands the trying times rural areas are facing with the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Pat Schou, ICAHN Executive Director. “Their generosity will help many rural hospital workers, from dietary to business office, nursing to housekeeping.”

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