akron children's hospital virtual tour

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Fully Virtual Cardiac Clinic Improves Clinical Care

The plans were already underway at Akron Children's Hospital to incorporate some telehealth care options for its single-ventricle patient population before the pandemic arrived. The hospital never planned to make its Cardiac LIFT (Lifelong Interventions Focused on Thriving) Clinic exclusively virtual, but it was so successful during the pandemic that it shelved plans for a hybrid program.

“Honestly, it was a bit of a surprise to us,” says Kathyrn Wheller, APRN, clinical lead of LIFT Single Ventricle Multidisciplinary Clinic at Akron Children’s in Ohio. “But seeing patients in their home environment has been enlightening to us as providers—there's no question.”

Akron Children’s launched the all-virtual multidisciplinary clinic—the first of its kind nationally, according to the hospital—in January 2021. While the patient’s primary cardiologist still conducts physical exams and tests in person, the Cardiac LIFT Clinic provides a wide range of virtual care, including:

• Evaluations for developmental, cognitive or behavioral issues.
• Speech and nutrition experts to monitor patient growth, oral feeding skills, tube feeds and speech delay.
• An adult congenital nurse to guide young adults and their families on a broad range of health care topics, including the transition process from pediatric to adult congenital care.
• Support and assistance accessing community resources via social workers from the hospital’s Heart Center.

Central to the clinic’s focus is addressing the neuropsychological concerns often associated with the single-ventricle patient population.

“If we anticipate those issues and screen for them early, we can intervene early and help these kids truly thrive,” Wheller says. “The focus of the multi-disciplinary care is moving away from just surviving to thriving.”

Virtual component aids families and providers

The all-virtual clinic provides convenience for patients and their families, who typically juggle multiple appointments with specialists. With virtual care, parents can see the entire care team in one visit from their home.

The response from the community has been overwhelming. “We've heard a ton of feedback from parents,” Wheller says. “It has been humbling to hear just how grateful they are.”

The virtual visits have been helpful for the care team as well. Clinicians gain a better understanding of a patient's daily life by seeing them in their home environment. The virtual clinic also allows clinicians to work even if they are not feeling well enough to go into the office. “I actually had COVID a couple of weeks ago and still did clinic,” Wheller says. “I would've had to cancel that had I not been able to do it virtually.”

Standardized care for single-ventricle patients

Perhaps the biggest impact of the Cardiac LIFT Clinic, according to Wheller, is the standardization of care for this medically complex patient population. “It’s been incredibly helpful to get multiple perspectives on the patient to make sure we're not missing any of the pieces of the puzzle,” she says. “The care these patients get within our own heart center has become more comprehensive, and the benefit to the patient is huge—but it's also beneficial to us as providers to make sure we're not all working in our own silos, and we're working together to achieve the best outcomes.”

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Akron kicks off holidays with virtual Akron Children's Hospital Holiday Tree Festival

Christmas trees, wreaths, holiday gifts and a train table are ready for viewing at Akron Children’s Hospital’s 40th annual Holiday Tree Festival, which opens this weekend.

But like last year, the popular event once again will be a virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Organizers of the annual event, which usually features an evening gala and breakfast with Santa, are hoping to return to in-person next year. Thousands in the community usually come to the free event yearly to browse through rows of decorated trees, wreaths and gifts as a way to to usher in the holiday season. 

2020 event: Akron's beloved Holiday Tree Festival is virtual this year

The viewing festival is free each year as a gift to the Akron community from the hospital. Funds raised from the event — via sales of the items, the gala and the breakfast — benefit Akron Children’s Hospital programs. 

The festival has donated more than $6.7 million dollars over the years, festival chairwoman Mary Leuca said. 

This year’s virtual festival is bigger than last year’s, which was the first time the event had to go virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But it's still smaller than normal, Leuca said.

Years past have seen as many as 155 Christmas trees, 250 holiday gifts and about 100 Christmas wreaths. 

Festival planners were originally planning for this year’s event to be in-person, but made the decision to go virtual with hospital leaders when COVID-19 cases were surging with the delta variant. 

“We had our applications out and had 100 trees, and a couple of people — when they heard they went to virtual — thought, ‘You know, I'd rather come when it’s in person,’ so we probably lost about 30 or 35 people who chose to do it next year, which is fine. I understand that,” said Leuca, who has been involved with the festival for 15 years, including nine as chair. 

How the virtual event works

This year’s festival will feature 64 Christmas trees ranging from 3 to 7 feet tall, 45 Christmas wreaths, 50 holiday gifts and 51 silent auction items. All items will be available for purchase. Some will have immediate availability with a price, and others will be part of a silent auction. 

The items can be viewed and purchased at www.akronchildrens.org/treefestival from 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 13 through 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16. There is no virtual video tour, but each item will have photographs on the website.

Purchasers can pick up items at the John S. Knight Center from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18. A contactless pickup system will be used. Purchased 5- to 7-foot trees will be delivered Friday, Nov. 19, within 50 miles of the hospital. 

Prepping trees

On Tuesday afternoon, a limited number of tree decorators were in the John S. Knight Center putting the finishing touches on their trees. Because of COVID-19 protocols, only two decorators could come for each tree. 

Chris and Laura Anderson of Cuyahoga Falls had just finished setting up a tree in honor of their late son, 19-year-old Joseph D. Anderson.  

The tree, called “Joseph’s Favorite Things,” is decorated with ornaments such as Mario Kart, Legos and Dragon Ball Z. The Cuyahoga Falls High School graduate was studying engineering at the University of Akron Williams Honors College. 

Joseph died unexpectedly in June. He was 19.

He loved coming to the Holiday Tree Festival with his grandparents over the years, his father, Chris, said.  

“We wanted to do something in his memory,” his father said. 

Family and friends gathered at the Andersons' home on Halloween weekend, which was one of Christopher’s favorite times, to bring ornaments and decorate the festival tree, said Laura Anderson. 

Chris Anderson said transporting the decorated tree in three sections to the John S. Knight Center didn’t go as smoothly as he’d hoped, but he and his wife spruced it back up when they arrived. 

For more than 20 years, members of the local International Star Trek Fan Club USS Lagrange have been collecting autographed memorabilia and decorating a tree for the tree festival. 

Last year, the club could only decorate a small tree with the first-year virtual limitations, so they had a lot of extra items for this year’s tree, said Ted Bronko, chief petty officer for the club. 

This year’s tree features holiday heroes and Christmas creatures, said Bronko’s wife, Nancy Milford, captain of the club. 

It also features autographed memorabilia, including items signed by actress Caitriona Balfe from "Outlander" and "Ford vs. Ferrari," and Wallace Shawn, the voice of Rex in the "Toy Story" movies.

Bronko said it is disappointing that the public can’t come in to see the trees or that the gala dinner, which raises a lot of money for the hospital, isn’t happening. But he hopes next year that things return to normal. 

The hospital “is very near and dear to me because when I was 3 years old, Children’s Hospital saved my life, and I’m 62,” he said. 

In a typical tree festival year, the event is able to raise $300,000 to donate to the hospital, Leuca said. Last year, the pared-down virtual festival raised $100,000, which pleased Leuca since she wasn’t sure if it would break even. 

“We’re not sure how much we’re going to be able to make this year and we’re trying to get the word out so people go find out website, find something they like and either bid on it or purchase it,” she said. 

Trains belonging to late voice of the Cavs

Dr. Bob Klein, retired director of the Children's Hospital burn unit and a pediatric surgeon, returned this year with his wife, Karen, to put together a train table in honor of the late Joe Tait. 

Tait, the radio voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers for 39 years, died at age 83 in March after a long battle with kidney disease and liver cancer. 

More: Joe Tait, beloved voice of the Cavaliers, dies at 83

Klein, an avid train enthusiast and collector who has built train tables or provided trees for the festival for about four decades, was friends with Tait and received most of Tait’s train collection upon his death. 

“This was Joe Tait’s train,” Klein said. “The things on the table were all his.” The table, which was built by 4B Wood in Seville, includes some of Tait’s favorite books and plates.

Tait had the trains screwed down to his dining room table, as well as two other sets of trains in other parts of his house, Klein said. 

Tait loved trains “more than basketball,” he said. “When he was out, he didn’t talk basketball or sports. He wanted to talk about trains.” 

The Kleins, who opted not to participate last year since because weren’t quite sure how the virtual event would work, added a lake and farm animals to the house from Tait’s original train table to resemble his Lafayette Township home and farm in Medina County. 

The opening bid for the table will be $3,500. 

The Kleins and Leuca said they can’t wait to see little children’s faces light up again when they are able to come back to the festival in-person, hopefully next year. 

In the meantime, Leuca said, visit the virtual site "and sit back and relax."

"You get to do it at home this year," she said. "You don't have to go out in the weather.” 

Beacon Journal staff reporter Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or [email protected]. Follow her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/BettyLinFisherABJ. To see her most recent stories and columns, go to www.tinyurl.com/bettylinfisher

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Tickets on sale for Sugar Plum Tour of Holiday Homes

THIS IS A PAST EVENT

Some of the area's finest historic and contemporary homes will open their doors in December for the Sugar Plum Tour of Holiday Homes . Tickets are on sale now for this annual holiday event, which includes both live and virtual tours of exquisitely decorated homes throughout Greater Akron.

The Sugar Plum Tour is Akron's premier holiday home tour and the signature fundraiser of the Gay Community Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation. Since 2002, thousands of tourgoers have experienced the twinkling lights, roaring fires, sparkling trees and dazzling holiday decorations of homes nestled in neighborhoods throughout Greater Akron.

Last year's Sugar Plum Tour raised a record of more than $200,000 for the fund, which supports programs that advance a lived equality for all LGBTQ+ people in Greater Akron. Recent grants have expanded outreach efforts to aging LGBTQ+ adults, provided gender-affirming health care services for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults, and supported inclusivity training seminars for small-business owners. View a full list of recent grants at www.akroncf.org/GCEFgrants .

This year's live tour will feature five spectacular homes on Sunday, Dec. 4, from 1 to 5 p.m., while the virtual tour will feature professionally filmed tours of eight homes during the weekend of Dec. 10-11.

Among the homes showcased on this year's tour are a 1948 Georgian colonial with original oak floors and a finished basement featuring a bar and home theater in West Akron; a 1967 ranch-style home renovated to an open floor plan and impeccably decorated on the eastern edge of Fairlawn; a 1953 mid-century modern home in West Akron with wide floor-to-ceiling windows that provide light and warmth to the space year-round; a 1926 Cotswold Tudor in the heart of Fairlawn Heights with arches throughout and a beautifully renovated kitchen; and a 1922 Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired bungalow with original hardwood floors and distinctive Craftsman nooks, built-ins and charm in Highland Square.

General admission tickets are $35 each for the live or virtual tours, or $60 for both, and can be purchased at www.sugarplumtour.org . Guests who purchase tickets before Nov. 1 will receive a special early bird discount.

Live tour tickets may also be purchased on Sunday, Dec. 4, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Angel Falls Coffee Company, 792 W. Market St. in Akron. Printed tour guides will be available for pickup at Angel Falls, and a mobile-friendly digital tour guide with maps of the home locations will be available to all tourgoers. For more details, visit www.sugarplumtour.org/tickets .

Following the live tour, sponsors will be invited to a private patrons-only party at an exclusive location that will be announced later. Sponsorships begin at $500 and include tickets to both the live and virtual tours, admission to the private Patron Party, a commemorative holiday ornament, and many other benefits . Sponsorships must be received by Nov. 1 to be included in promotional materials.

The 2022 Sugar Plum Tour is presented by Raymond Dental Group – Dr. Kate Raymond and Michelle Krocker. This year's tour homes are sponsored by Akron Children's Hospital; Fran Bittle; Gregory Hail and Matthew Culler; Jones Group Interiors Charitable Fund; and The Read Family. All proceeds from the event benefit the Gay Community Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation.

About the Gay Community Endowment Fund Founded in 2001, the Gay Community Endowment Fund is a permanent philanthropic endowment of Akron Community Foundation . The fund advances a lived equality for all LGBTQ+ people in Greater Akron by investing in strategic and responsive grantmaking that empowers the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Since its inception, the fund has grown to nearly $2 million while reinvesting more than $690,000 into the community. Contributions of any amount are welcome and support future grantmaking. Checks should be sent to Akron Community Foundation, 345 W. Cedar St., Akron, OH 44307, with Gay Community Endowment Fund in the memo line. Donations may also be designated for the GCEF Scholarship Fund. For more information, or to contribute , call 330-376-8522 or visit www.gaycommunityfund.org/ .

About Akron Community Foundation Celebrating 67 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation embraces and enhances the work of charitable people who make a permanent commitment to the good of the community. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. It is a philanthropic endowment of nearly $260 million with a growing family of more than 800 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation and its funds welcome gifts of all kinds , including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation's funds have awarded nearly $209 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund , call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org .

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