Expanding Access to Specialized Long-Term Care

Project Description

For some Iowa families, a 30th birthday brings an unimaginable question: Where will my loved one live, and who will be able to care for them?

Across Iowa, adults living with significant neurological disabilities and complex medical needs face a critical gap in the healthcare continuum. Individuals who require ventilator support, tracheostomy care and other intensive medical services may be medically stable, but they need specialized nursing and respiratory care around the clock. Today, Iowa lacks an appropriate long-term skilled nursing option specifically equipped to meet these needs.

Advances in medicine have enabled children and young adults with significant medical complexity to live longer, fuller lives. Yet the systems designed to support them have not evolved at the same pace. Young adults receiving specialized pediatric care eventually age out of those services. Other adults may develop similar needs following an injury, illness or neurological diagnosis. Their options are extremely limited: placement in a traditional nursing facility that may not have the specialized staffing or expertise they require, remaining at home even when doing so is no longer sustainable, or leaving Iowa altogether to obtain appropriate care.

On With Life proposes a 25-bed expansion of its Long-Term Skilled Care program in Polk City, creating specialized capacity to serve adults with complex medical needs, including individuals who require ventilator and respiratory support. The project will establish a sustainable adult-care option that does not currently exist in Iowa... allowing individuals to receive highly specialized care while remaining closer to their families, communities and support systems.