Your Child in the Hospital
Organized fundraising
Many communities rally around a sick or injured child by organizing a fundraiser. Help is given in various ways, ranging from donation jars in local stores to an organized fund drive using all the local media. There are many pitfalls to avoid in fund raising, and great care must be exercised to protect the child’s privacy as much as possible. Because there have been some unfortunate scams in which generous people were bilked out of contributions for sick children who did not exist, if you decide to try fundraising, it is best to obtain legal assistance so donations will go into a trust fund to pay your child’s medical expenses.
If your child is on or seeking SSI or Medicaid eligibility, donated funds must be held in a special needs trust and paid directly to providers. If the family receives the money, or the child’s Social Security number is used to open the bank account, the child can lose funding from both SSI and Medicaid.
Table of Contents
All Guides- Introduction
- 1. Before You Go
- 2. The Emergency Room
- 3. Preparing Your Child
- 4. The Facilities
- 5. The Staff
- 6. Communicating with Doctors
- 7. Common Procedures
- 8. Surgery
- 9. Pain Management
- 10. Family and Friends. What to Say
- 11. Family and Friends. How to Help
- 12. Feelings and Behavior
- 13. Siblings
- 14. Long-Term Illness or Injury
- 15. School
- 16. Medical and Financial Records
- 17. Insurance
- 18. Sources of Financial Help
- 19. Looking Back
- My Hospital Journal
- Packing List
- Resources
- Contributors
- About the Author