An Occasion Worth Celebrating
Carle Health is proud to be expanding its services with a new youth-focused behavioral health location in West Peoria: Trillium Place Young Minds Center, an affiliate of Carle Health. This beautiful state-of-the-art facility has been designed and renovated specifically for kids, and we’re excited to offer this new place of healing and hope to the communities we serve. The center will house comprehensive behavioral health care options – all in one location – including counseling, psychiatry and inpatient mental health services. Carle Health leaders, donors and local luminaries celebrated the ribbon cutting on September 12, and when the Young Minds Center opens this fall, access to mental health services for children and adolescents will be forever transformed in our region. We’re so grateful to the many generous donors and other contributors whose support made this possible for all the families who count on Carle Health.
Major gift helps transform Carle BroMenn Acute Rehab Unit.
As the only inpatient rehabilitation unit in the Bloomington-Normal area, the Acute Rehabilitation Unit at Carle BroMenn Medical Center serves patients from five different counties. It’s a busy place. And it’s only going to get busier, with stroke and major brain injuries expected to drive increasing admissions over the next five years.
To prepare for that influx, the Carle Health Central Region Board of Trustees and the Carle Health Board of Trustees recently approved a $5.5 million upgrade to the unit that includes upgrades to the nurses station and patient areas, a new HVAC unit, and a room renovation that will give every patient an ADA-compliant restroom.
Jennifer Vance, an executive vice president at Country Financial and a member of the Carle Health Central Region Board, remembered hearing about those rooms during her mother’s stay. Someone had mentioned them, because they thought she might recover and would need some rehab before returning home. “So, when I heard about plans to modernize the unit, I thought that one might be a good one to be involved in, because my mom received such good care at the hospital, and that’s a service she would have found useful.”
For Vance, the naming opportunity was just an added bonus. “I didn’t want my name on the room. But when it occurred to me that I could put my mom’s name on the room, I thought it would be a good opportunity to pay tribute to my mom and also help people suffering from the same kinds of things that she went through get the care they need to get back home.
“My mom and I were very close,” Vance said, noting that this tribute provided a meaningful way to remember the woman who had such a tremendous impact on her life.
Children breathe a little easier thanks to new Urbana pulmonary lab.
Pulmonary function testing, or PFT, helps doctors understand a patient’s overall lung capacity, as well as how much air is left in their lungs when they exhale, providing information that’s key to diagnosing and treating a wide range of conditions. “We have a pretty significant need for PFT in this area,” said Jason Hirschi, vice president of primary care. Until recently, however, that testing was handled by the Adult PFT Lab, which meant young patients needing PFT could face delays in accessing appointments.
“Waiting for care can be frustrating,” Hirschi said, “especially if you’re a kid.” So, the hospital began looking for a way to change that by creating a pulmonary lab just for them. Now the Dr. Benjamin Robbins Legacy Fund has made that vision a reality, providing the money for a new lab and equipment that’ll be housed in the Pediatric department.
In August 2020, a group of founding contributors established the fund to honor Dr. Robbins, whose dedication to young patients impacted countless lives over a long and distinguished career. The bulk of the funds will be used to purchase a new PFT machine, which is essentially a large, clear booth where patients sit while equipment measures the amount of air passing in and out of their lungs. Using that information, doctors can provide diagnoses, adjust medications and monitor chronic conditions over time.
Hirschi said the new lab will be beneficial for many young patients in the Pediatric Specialties program, including those living with cystic fibrosis and sickle cell. “Those are two very complex conditions,” Hirschi explained, “and this pulmonology lab will go a long way toward providing treatment and intervention for those kids.”
It's estimated the new lab will be utilized by more than 300 children each year, who’ll now be seen in a more welcoming, kid-friendly environment by specialists who are accustomed to their needs. At the same time, the new machine will also reduce wait times for patients in the adult lab, providing the ultimate win-win.
New fitness space opens at Peoria Addiction Recovery Center.
On July 11, Carle Health Proctor Hospital introduced a brand-new fitness space to its Addiction Recovery Center. Thanks to a generous contribution, the space allows for the addition of a fitness routine to customized treatment programs. This access will enhance the experience available for patients, helping them find even better health outcomes in their journey to recovery.
“Fitness plays such an important part in recovery,” said Robert Lizer, DO, medical director of the Addiction Recovery Center. “When people are at their low and struggling with addiction, physical well-being is an integral part of the recovery process. It helps with positive neurobiological development and promotes healthy living physically, mentally and spiritually.”
The Fletcher Fitness and Wellness Center began to take shape in 2023 when Sheryl, a local resident, said she wanted to help fund the project as a way of giving back. “I just wanted to help others,” Sheryl said. “Working out has always been an important part of my life. It is the one thing I have always known I can fall back on.”
Nicole Hayse, executive director of Carle Health Center for Philanthropy – Greater Peoria, said, “It means so much to us to give generous individuals like Sheryl and Fletcher the opportunity to give back for something they care deeply about, and make a difference.”
The space features an entirely new design including new flooring, fixtures, inspiring artwork and multiple types of exercise equipment including treadmills, stationary bikes, weight machines and more. All are representative of this one-of-a-kind recovery environment in the Greater Peoria community.
The wellness center will be used daily as part of individual and customized treatment programming at the Addiction Recovery Center, which plays a key role in the larger continuum of comprehensive mental health and addiction recovery services offered within Trillium Place, an affiliate of Carle Health.
“This space means we are able to better meet the needs of our clients and provide them with the incredible sense of healing and accomplishment that exercise brings,” said Mary Thompson, president of Trillium Place. “It’s a safe space and such an important part of their recovery journey.” And it’s all possible thanks to a generous lady, her friendly dog and the inspiration they had for helping others on their pathways to wellness.
New therapy equipment brings healing and strength to Olney patients.
For Sarah Kocher, 2022 was an eventful year. She bought a house. And started a new job as a cook at St. Joseph Catholic School in Olney, where both of her sons attended. “Then in the first week of October, I felt something odd,” Kocher said. It was a lump in her breast. That discovery was quickly followed by a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsies that found cancer in her breast and a couple of lymph nodes, leading to a lumpectomy in December at Carle Richland Memorial Hospital.
Surgery went well, but eventually she began experiencing pain in her arm as the scar tissue began to tighten. “I had no range of motion in my left shoulder,” said Kocher, who experienced agonizing pain just trying to put on a shirt.
Fortunately, a physician referred her to Carle Richland Therapy Services, which had recently added some new workout equipment with dollars donated to the Greatest Needs Fund at Carle Richland Memorial Hospital. The fund provided more than $8,000 to purchase a new functional trainer with two cable tower stations and built-in storage for kettle balls, medicine balls and various attachments. The new trainer provides a great deal of flexibility, allowing therapists to isolate a single muscle group or perform full-body workouts.
The new machine, along with supportive therapy treatments like cupping, quickly brought relief. “I feel like I never had surgery now,” Kocher said, adding that she wants people to know how important therapy is. “I have so much better range of motion, and I don’t hurt anymore. Life is fantastic.”
Kocher has high praise for all of those who were part of her journey, but especially those in therapy services who played such a big role in her postsurgical care. “I was in so much pain,” Kocher said. “They went above and beyond to help me out.” To her, they’re not just therapists; they’re rock stars.
A Charitable Contingent Beneficiary
Estate beneficiaries may not want to accept a gift you make in your will for any number of reasons. They may be financially secure, for example, or simply unwilling to bear the costs and administrative obstacles associated with a gift of a specific property. By making Carle Health Center for Philanthropy the contingent beneficiary, your estate can qualify for an estate tax charitable deduction if your primary beneficiary makes a qualified disclaimer, giving up all rights to the gift. The property then passes to Carle Health Center for Philanthropy, and your estate receives the full charitable deduction for that gift. Visit legacy.carle.org, email philanthropy@carle.com or call (217) 383-3021 to learn more.
