The Steve Mariucci Family Beacon is excited to announce that they have been awarded $50,000 from the Michigan Endowment Fund as part of their Maternal & Infant Health Initiative.
The organization will utilize the funds to create a UP-wide network to share information with hospitals and providers to further enhance support to families with prematurely born babies at the UP Health System Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), as well as expectant mothers needing to stay close to the hospital prior to delivery.
“Beacon House has a long history of providing a safe, affordable place to stay for the mothers of babies in the NICU,” said Mary Tavernini Dowling, CEO of the Hospitality House of the Upper Peninsula, which operates Beacon House, Gift Well and Coffee for a Cause as well as the Wig Salon for Cancer Patients. “We will now be able to expand our reach to every medical provider in the U.P. to ensure that all families expecting a child know about the tremendous support they can receive if their child comes early and they need to spend an extended amount of time in Marquette to be near their child, and not worry about the cost of doing so.”
UP Health System-Marquette provides the only NICU in the U.P., along with specialty prenatal healthcare for high-risk pregnancies. The cost and challenges families face traveling across the U.P. are high. With multiple unaffiliated community hospitals providing primary care, there is no one “road map” for all to follow to access the care provided in an affordable manner when needed. With the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, Beacon House will create and maintain a UP-wide network to link all providers with vital information that is easy to share with those who would benefit from this specialty care and affordable lodging.
“This is also a wonderful opportunity for us to do even more for these families when they do stay with us,” said Tavernini Dowling. “This grant will also allow us to expand our support for NICU families with additional guest supplies and support for their other children when they come to stay, too. In many instances, the family has little notice and arrive at our door without all the things they need. We are overjoyed to be able to help with diapers, meals, changes of clothes and anything else we can offer for their comfort.”
There is no charge to stay at Beacon House, but guests are asked to make a donation at the best level they can afford.
“In so many instances, families with a NICU baby are unable to afford lodging expenses due to the unexpected early arrival of their baby. We welcome them with open arms and do our best to take that worry from them. We also offer our hospitality to their supportive family members, like siblings and grandparents who want to be here for them, as well. To see them all sharing a meal in our dining room brings us so much joy, knowing that they don’t have to be separated because the cost to be away from home was too high.”
To learn more about the Mariucci Family Beacon House, visit www.upbeaconhouse.org. For more on the Maternal & Health Initiative from the Michigan Endowment Fund, visit www.mihealthfund.org.
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