Baby Wipes and Diapers Are an Ongoing Need for Families

Every month, CHF Vice President Viola Cage makes a trip to Sam’s Club to purchase baby wipes and diapers for families with children at Le Bonheur and St. Jude. The monthly supplies are given to the QoLA Kids Hospice and Palliative Care program, and their social work team handles distribution to families who need them.

For children in hospice care, hospice benefits provide medical supplies and diapers for most patients. But, did you know baby wipes are not provided or covered by insurance benefits? We were surprised, too. Baby wipes are considered a non-essential item in terms of the supplies that are covered and uncovered for sick-baby care.

For those in palliative care (also known as quality-of-life care), neither baby wipes or diapers are provided under insurance benefits.

Baby wipes and diapers may not be cost-prohibitive for some families, but many families with very sick children face financial hurdles that make regular diaper and baby wipe purchases out of reach. Plus, trips to the store can be inconvenient in “normal” times of caring for a very sick child, and simply dangerous in pandemic times.

“The monthly donation of baby wipes and diapers from CHF comes as a ray of sunshine and hope for several families,” says QoLA social worker Cheryl Ferguson.

Cheryl recently shared with us just how broad-reaching these supplies are for families within the QoLA Kids Hospice and Palliative Care program. Internationally, families are from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Haiti, Serbia, and the Ivory Coast. In the U.S., families have come to Memphis from California, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, New York, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Thank you for contributing funds that help with these monthly purchases for families with babies facing life-threatening illness. Your kindness is noticed and appreciated!