A Message to Benefactors of Freeman Health System & Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Our response to COVID-19

Dear friends and supporters,

On behalf of the Administration and Leadership Team at Freeman, we hope that you and your family are doing well in this difficult time. We want to thank you for your generosity through philanthropy that has enabled us to meet the growing needs of our communities, most notably in times of crisis and uncertainty.

As we navigate through the evolving COVID-19 situation throughout the region and here at your local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, there are a few things we’d like to reiterate:

• The health and safety of our community is at the center of all that we do each and every day. At this time, Freeman is working with a team of health departments, hospitals and the city of Joplin to develop an efficient process to assess, diagnose and treat potential COVID-19 patients.
• We are asking that all members of the community continue to be diligent in hand washing, avoiding high traffic areas, staying home when sick and contacting their healthcare provider if they suspect they might have COVID-19.
• Freeman is working with the local health department to streamline the testing process and will continue to do so to best serve the Joplin and surrounding community. We have helped establish the COVID-19 Call Center and Testing Site. Any patient with COVID-19 concerns should contact the COVID-19 Call Center at 417.347.6444.
• We have implemented a new visitation policy effective immediately. Click here to review.
• Follow the suggested prevention guidelines to help curve the spread of the virus and limit exposure.

Freeman Leadership is keeping you and our communities informed on COVID-19 updates regularly. To access our live daily press briefings, visit our Freeman Health System Facebook page to stay informed.

Fundraising through our special events and community partnership campaigns are extremely important to our programs and services, however, we are following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and our clinical experts by postponing any upcoming activities. We will be sending out updates for rescheduled events as we continue to monitor the situation.

We are continuing to assist local children in need through our Direct Family Assistance Program, a resource provided through our Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Fund. As always, please call to schedule an appointment for assistance. When visiting our office for your assistance appointment, we are requesting that only one parent or guardian come to the appointment. If you are in need of assistance for travel for upcoming appointments, please provide enough notice to allow for the assistance cards to be mailed to you. If you are not feeling well, please consider allowing us to mail the assistance cards to you. While we do love your children and enjoy seeing them in our office, we respectfully request that they do not attend your appointment with you. We are doing our best to limit exposure opportunities while still working to provide the assistance your family may need.

How can you help?

To enhance the support to our clinical team at Freeman, who are working vigilantly to prepare for what COVID-19 may bring in the coming weeks, you can help support our mission by donating to our COVID-19 Response Fund to support our care teams, helping to provide needed supplies to prepare for the possible surge in patients of all ages needing our help. Your gift will be used to:

• expand diagnostic and testing capacity
• secure our ability to cover extended staff time and benefits for health care providers working directly on the crisis
• provide vital life-saving equipment, such as ventilators, personal protective equipment, vital signs monitors, stretchers and other essential medical needs

Now, more than ever, your generosity to Freeman and gifts through our Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Fund are critical. We are committed to our mission of providing necessary medical care to sick and injured children in our communities. We anticipate that demand for assistance from Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals will increase over the next several months. If you are in a position to give and have a desire to support our hospitals, doctors, nurses and support staff serving on the front lines each and every day, please know that your contribution will have a lasting impact throughout our system by taking care of those taking care of you.

Thank you to all of you, our donors, national partners, sponsors and volunteers, for your continued and unwavering support.

Blake S. Bard, CFRE
Chief Development Officer, Freeman Health System

Michaela Bennett
Development and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Program Manager, Freeman Health System