Imd Guest House Foundation

COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING - CONSTRUCTION - IMD GUEST HOUSE FOUNDATION (GUEST HOUSE) IS A 501(C)(3) NONPROFIT THAT MAKES ADVANCED, LIFE-SAVING TREATMENT ACCESSIBLE TO PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES BY PROVIDING ESSENTIAL LOW-COST MEDICAL LODGING IN CHICAGO. OURS IS THE ONLY ORGANIZATION IN THE CHICAGO AREA THAT SUPPORTS PATIENTS OF ALL AGES, WITH ANY DIAGNOSIS, IN ACTIVE TREATMENT. WE NEVER TURN FAMILIES AWAY FOR FINANCIAL REASONS. SINCE 2011, THE GUEST HOUSE HAS OPERATED IN SPACE RENTED FROM UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CHICAGO (UIC), IN A BUILDING CONSTRUCTED IN 1981. WE OFFER 47 FULLY FURNISHED ONE- AND TWO-BEDROOM APARTMENTS, EACH OF WHICH FEATURES A SEPARATE LIVING/DINING AREA, FULLY EQUIPPED KITCHEN, PRIVATE BATH, PLUS STEAMING ENTERTAINMENT AND WI-FI. THE GUEST HOUSE SEEKS TO BETTER ACCOMMODATE GUESTS WITH TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT PHYSICAL DISABILITIES. THE BATHROOMS IN 40 OF OUR 47 GUEST APARTMENTS INCLUDE COMBINATION SHOWER/BATHTUBS, WHICH ARE DIFFICULT FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MOBILITY LIMITATIONS TO USE. THE BATHROOMS IN THE REMAINING SEVEN UNITS HAVE BEEN CONVERTED TO ZERO-BARRIER SHOWERS, FIVE OF WHICH WE CONVERTED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, AND TWO WERE CONVERTED BY UIC. THE GUEST HOUSE PROPOSES TO INCREASE OUR CAPACITY TO SERVE GUESTS OF ALL ABILITIES BY CONVERTING EIGHT ADDITIONAL SHOWER/BATHTUB COMBINATIONS INTO ZERO-BARRIER SHOWERS. THIS PROJECT WILL INVOLVE REMOVING THE EXISTING SHOWER/TUB UNITS IN NINE GUEST APARTMENT BATHROOMS AND INSTALLING ZERO-BARRIER SHOWERS WITH GRAB BARS. THESE RENOVATIONS WILL SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCE THE ACCESSIBILITY AND COMFORT OF OUR GUESTS. GUEST HOUSE SUPPORTS AN AVERAGE OF 700 FAMILIES ANNUALLY. OUR SERVICE POPULATION INCLUDES 1) U.S. MILITARY VETERANS RECEIVING INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT TREATMENT FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, AND MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA; AND 2) MEDICAL GUESTS WITH SERIOUS ILLNESSES SUCH AS CANCER, ORGAN FAILURE, NEONATAL/PEDIATRIC ILLNESSES, AND TRAUMATIC INJURIES. CHICAGO’S WORLD-CLASS HEALTHCARE INSTITUTIONS MAKE IT A TREATMENT DESTINATION. OUR GUESTS TRAVEL FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND EVEN OVERSEAS, WITH ABOUT HALF OF OUR MEDICAL GUESTS COMING FROM ILLINOIS. DUE TO THE HIGH COST OF LODGING AND FOOD IN CHICAGO, MOST OF OUR GUESTS WOULD BE UNABLE TO ACCESS THE LIFE-SAVING HEALTH CARE THEY NEED WITHOUT GUEST HOUSE’S SERVICES. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL ALLOW GUEST HOUSE TO SERVE UP TO AN ADDITIONAL 120 GUESTS WITH TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT PHYSICAL DISABILITIES EACH YEAR. GREATER ACCESSIBILITY AT THE GUEST HOUSE WILL ENSURE ALL PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES CAN ACCESS THE LIFE-SAVING HEALTH CARE THEY NEED AND FOCUS ON THEIR RECOVERY WITHOUT THE ADDED STRESS OF INADEQUATE MEDICAL LODGING.