Chicago foundation expands free NICU parking program to Comer Children's Hospital in Hyde Park
CHICAGO (WLS) -- For parents with a baby in a neonatal intensive care unit, every minute at the hospital matters. But daily parking expenses can add another burden for families already facing the challenges of caring for a critically ill newborn.
The Jackson Chance Foundation, a Chicago organization created after one family's experience in the NICU, is expanding its free parking program to Comer Children's Hospital on the University of Chicago Medical Center campus in Hyde Park.
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For Carrie Meghie, the foundation's founder, the mission is personal. She and her husband, Terry, spent every day with their son, Jackson, during his NICU stay and experienced firsthand the challenges families face beyond the hospital doors.
"After about six weeks during his NICU stay, our credit card bill arrived, and we spent nearly $2,000 just for parking," Meghie said.
Jackson spent all 10 months of his life in the NICU before he died. In 2013, the Meghies created the Jackson Chance Foundation so that no parent would have to choose between paying for parking and being with a critically ill baby.
Since then, the foundation has raised more than $9.5 million and provided more than 1 million days of free parking to thousands of families.
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"Every NICU family receives complimentary parking with 24/7 access and unlimited in-and-out privileges for their entire time in the NICU," Meghie said.
The program is now expanding to Comer Children's Hospital, which has a Level IV NICU caring for some of the most critically ill newborns. Hospital leaders say the program removes one more burden at a time when parents are already overwhelmed.
"You could come in and out five times a day, and that is covered, also makes it something special that we don't really have a sense for with our inner-city parking. And I think that's some thing our families will benefit from," said Dr. Emily Chase, incoming president of Comer Children's Hospital.
For John Collins, a Jackson Chance Foundation Board member, the benefit is familiar. His son was born two months early at Northwestern Medicine's Prentice Women's Hospital and was immediately taken to the NICU.
One of the first things Collins received was a Jackson Chance parking pass, which he said saved him more than $1,000.
"We were able to give it to grandparents, give it to other people who were visiting my son. And it just made a lot of difference in terms of taking away one more think to think about," Collins said.
Comer Children's Hospital is the foundation's fourth hospital partner. Meghie said the organization plans to expand the program to other hospitals around the country.
