Month: August 2021

Give InKind Partners with Hackensack Meridian Health to Improve Patient Experience

Give InKind and Hackensack Meridian Health Announce Partnership to Support Patients and Families During Challenging Times

Platform Unites People in a Virtual Community Designed to Improve the Patient Experience

Give InKind, a modern platform for people to give and receive support during life’s disrupted moments, launches a new partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health to elevate support for patients and their families when navigating a medical situation.

Hackensack Meridian Health is New Jersey’s largest, most comprehensive and truly
integrated health care network, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. The network believes that the support patients receive at home while families navigate everything from a new baby to cancer treatments can have a significant impact on the well-being of each patient.

Give InKind is poised to coordinate the various and individual needs of each patient.
Nearly 90 percent of people who create a Give InKind page do so because they are touching the health care system in our country in some way. Just in 2020, 10,000 InKind pages were created and over 1 million people came to Give InKind to learn how they can support someone.

“This partnership allows our patients to connect to their loved ones near and far during some of the most difficult times in their life – and ask for help in a tangible way,” said Elizabeth Paskas, senior vice president, Chief Patient Experience Officer, Hackensack Meridian Health. “We know that when families feel supported we create a more holistic approach to their health and outcomes. We look forward to adding the Give InKind platform to our existing team member and patient and family resources, including our Circle of Compassion program that benefits team members facing dire financial difficulties, and our peer-to-peer fundraising pages managed through Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation, that help fundraise for key initiatives and programs throughout our network.”

Give InKind was founded in 2017 after Founder and CEO Laura Malcolm and her
husband experienced a late-term pregnancy loss. They found their families struggling to give support from around the country and knew there had to be an easier way to let others know how to help.

Whether it’s after the birth of a child, a new diagnosis or other medical crisis, the loss of a loved one or any other challenge we face in life, friends and families need ways to give and receive help, from anywhere. Give InKind facilitates comprehensive support with its Care Calendar, Wishlist, User Updates and Fundraising on one easy-to-use page, empowering people to support one another through life events.

“This is so much more than a Meal Train or a GoFundMe – it’s a place where everything can be coordinated in one location,” said Malcolm. This makes it easier on the patient and their family, as well as their loved ones, who are simply trying to figure out how they can help.”

Hackensack Meridian Health will be encouraging patients to set up a page for
themselves or a loved one to help them get the at-home support they need. “This was a no-brainer for our team.” said Paskas. “We know there is extreme value to the overall well being of our patients when things at home can be taken care of by others, and the patient can focus on their recovery.”

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Give InKind was founded in 2017 by CEO Laura Malcolm after a devastating loss of her stillborn daughter. Since then the organization has focused on building a comprehensive platform that supports people through all of life’s disruptive moments. Based in Tacoma, WA, the platform has grown to over 10k InKind pages created per year and over two Million visitors to the platform to learn how to support someone.
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ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH
Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.

Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children’s hospitals – Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals – Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a
behavioral health hospital – Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals – JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.
Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 36,000 team members, and 7,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

The network’s notable distinctions include having more top-ranked hospitals than anyone in New Jersey, as recognized by U.S. News & World Report. Hackensack University Medical Center is the only hospital in New Jersey with the #1 adult and children’s hospital rankings.

The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its campus in Nutley and Clifton. The Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), housed in a fully renovated state-of-the-art facility, seeks to translate current innovations in science to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cancer, infectious diseases and other life-threatening and disabling conditions.
Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.
Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies. To learn more, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org.

How to Set Up a Give InKind Page When Someone Dies

InKind’s support pages offer assistance to those wanting to know how to be helpful to a loved one in a time of need. Here, we consider how to set up an InKind page for someone who has experienced the loss of a loved one in their life.

Getting Started

Whether it’s sudden or something that has been approaching for some time – there is no preparation for the depth of loss we feel when someone we love dies. People intuitively want to grieve with you and show their love and support.  If a family or individual you know is struggling and in need of temporary help, giving their friends and family some specific ways to provide necessary support is a gift to be shared. Begin by considering the basics. What is most necessary? (The needs will vary according to the unique situation of your recipient.) As always, begin with loving expressions of support. Then, try to get clarity about what kinds of things are likely to be most helpful. (See a sample InKind Support Page for When Someone Dies.) 

Care Calendar

The family situation of your recipient is a good place to start considering what kinds of support are most critical. If the patient has children, make sure that they are considered. Meals are often a critical component of any care calendar – everyone has to eat. Is transportation an issue? Are there critical housing needs or repairs? Use the Care Calendar to add as many actionable items that are needed to help provide care. 

  • Food: Meals and groceries are often the first items to be claimed on any calendar. Providing food to families is immensely helpful. Think about setting up a Gift Card Train that includes options for takeout so that family and friends have flexibility as to how and when they use them. Groceries to fill up a pantry can be an immense relief to a family. 
  • Childcare: (If applicable) If there are children at home, providing for their care is critical.  Children are variably comfortable with adults they don’t know well, so consider whether you are well-placed to offer this service. (With many thanks for considering it.) 
  • Adult/Senior Care: If a recipient is a caregiver to an aging parent, make sure to consider the needs of the aging parent. Errands will be important, as will rides to medical appointments, places of worship, and so on. 
  • Pet Care: (If applicable) Are there pets to care for? It may be helpful to make arrangements for necessary dog walks, feedings, or pet-sitting. Is there a need to foster pets? Go ahead and list this need in updates if it may be a need that lasts longer than a few days. 
  • Home Services: Use this category for any home services that they may feel like too much. Housekeeping? Laundry? Repair?
  • Transportation: Is transportation an issue? If a recipient’s family has no car, it may be hard to take measures to reach for opportunities (support groups, employment, school). If one car must be shared this creates logistical challenges. Can someone provide a ride? Or, can someone purchase an Uber card?
  • Other: “Other” is the ultimate catch-all category. This is a great way to create opportunities for connection. This is a good time to consider the things they find comforting. Just sitting with someone in grief can be extremely supportive at this time. 

Fundraising

People will have different financial circumstances and may need financial assistance in paying for a funeral or other costs associated with the loss of a loved one. If there is such a need, simply enable the fundraising button on your InKind page and connect your PayPal and/or GoFundMe account.

Wishlist

The Give InKind Wishlist is another opportunity for others to meaningfully support a person in need of a little extra help. Browse Give InKind’s curated list for suggested items that could help in their unique situation. In addition to take-out, you can include other more non-traditional gift cards as well. When you see an item that could be helpful, use the “+” icon to add to their Wishlist. 

You may also add an existing Amazon Wishlist to your InKind page.

Communication Preferences

Use Give InKind’s do-not-disturb section to let others know about the recipient’s communication preferences. Keep in mind that these preferences can be easily adjusted as the situation changes.

  • Phone Calls: Is the recipient wanting to take calls at this time? If so, what is the best way for others to reach out – a phone call or text? Many people appreciate expressions of support even if they can’t respond immediately. 
  • Visitors: Does the recipient want visitors? The usefulness of this will depend upon the situation of your recipient, so consider whether it is reasonable in context. 
  • Flowers: Is the recipient open to receiving flowers? It’s such a nice thought – feel free to ask. 

Updates

Add unlimited updates to keep friends and family informed. This is a great place for a designated page manager to keep family and friends up to date or for the recipient to “blog” or “journal” their thoughts. 

A village gathers around a family in a time of need. We all navigate this world by lending help when it is necessary.  As well, we grow by accepting help from others in the spirit in which it is offered. Keep channels of communication open. Create your Give InKind Support Page here.

If you have any further questions, visit Give InKind’s Help Center.