Case 1: This case involves a 14-month-old patient diagnosed with Noonan’s Syndrome and associated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. They are a palliative care patient that sees multiple specialists such as: Genetics, Cardiology, Surgery, and Nephrology among others. The patient has been hospitalized three times this year due to illness. Due to the patient’s medical condition, they have frequent visits to both Arkansas Children’s Hospital (the northwest and Little Rock campuses). Since the patient is at a higher risk of needing emergent medical attention, utilizing Medicaid Transportation is not helpful or reliable at times. Previously, the family was sharing a vehicle with a family member. This was impacting their family greatly and often meant that the caregiver could only stay with patient overnight during the hospitalization due to other people needing the vehicle and transporting the patient’s siblings. The family saved up to buy a car, and it broke down within days. Caregiver states they have been told a rough estimate for repairs would be $2,500 to fix the transmission. Having a vehicle will allow a caregiver to be at bedside with the patient during hospitalizations more often, while continuing to adequately care for their other children. Additionally, the family’s living situation will also change soon. They currently rent a room and split the bills with a roommate. The roommate will be leaving in May and therefore will be affecting the families’ finances even more, so family has started looking for other housing options. Therefore, we are submitting for your consideration the following needs: Auto Repairs ($2,500). Total ask: $2,500. UPDATE 4/20: Baby Sharon Committee did not approve this request for March due to the possible unreliability of the vehicle. Committee will review the request in April to possibly help with another need (Rent or other need). Jacob will follow up with the Social Worker.
After discussion with Jacob, the committee approved $1163 for one month’s rent for the family’s new home.
Case 2: This case involves a 6-year-old child with Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 5. There is a potential imminent need for dialysis. The patient is gastronomy tube dependent and has developmental delays. They also receive Outpatient Physical and Occupational Therapy to address developmental milestones. The patient is not old enough to manage their daily medications or feeds, so the patient’s sole caregiver manages the medical care. The patient’s illness is chronic in nature and requires ongoing care from specialty providers including Nephrology, Clinical Nutrition and Endocrine. The caregiver also cares for the patient’s sibling who has their own neurodevelopmental and behavioral health needs. The caregiver has not been able to work at this time due to notable transportation barriers including the loss and subsequent reinstatement of their driver’s license and an unreliable vehicle in need of repairs. They do not have the funds for the repairs at this time despite asking for a family member for financial help. With the summer months approaching, the caregiver will have to keep the children at home as they cannot afford childcare. For income, the family relies on child support and disability benefits which equals less and $1000 a month. Additionally, the utility needs for the patient’s medical equipment have caused the caregiver not to be able to keep up and the caregiver needs assistance to avoid it being shut off which would affect the patient’s medical needs. The current amount due to their electricity is $3,071.85. With this amount paid, the caregiver will be able to establish a delayed payment plan with the company. Therefore, we are submitting for your consideration a request for $3,071.85 for electricity Total Ask: $ 3,071.85
The committee approved $3071.85 for electrical expenses.
Case 3: This case involves a now 7-month-old premature twin patient who has been in the NICU for over six months. They have been diagnosed with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) a congenital heart condition that affects breathing, feeding, and overall stability. Tragically, the patient’s twin passed during birth, which has understandably taken a significant emotional toll on the caregiver. The caregiver initially planned to take six weeks off work following the birth but returned early due to falling behind on payments. Despite their best efforts communicating the situation with the car company, no accommodations were provided. The caregiver has since lost their job, resulting in the vehicle being repossessed and they have no funds to retrieve it. Due to the lack of transportation, the caregiver is currently unable to visit the patient regularly and able to secure new employment. UPDATE: 4/20: This case was presented to the Baby Sharon Committee in December 2025 when the patient was 3 months old. At the time, the committee approved for $1900 to provide Uber gift cards instead of a downpayment for a vehicle. However, due to the corporate compliance rules, we could not move forward with this suggestion. The caregiver has tried to find downpayment options with the approved funds but has been unsuccessful. Therefore, we are asking the committee for an additional $3,100 to help caregiver put a downpayment on a vehicle. Total ask for April meeting: $3,100
The committee approved $3100 for down payment on a used vehicle, with the caveat that they deal with a reputable dealership.
Case 4: This case involves a 5 months old, who was born at 26 weeks gestation and has remained hospitalized in the NICU since birth. The patient’s medical course has been complex, including diagnoses of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular brain bleeds, congenital heart disease, and retinopathy of prematurity. The infant also requires thickened feeds due to aspiration risk. Upon discharge, the child will require frequent follow-up appointments with multiple specialists as well as ongoing early intervention therapies, making consistent and dependable transportation critical.
The family consists of two parents and four children, including the patient. The father is the sole income earner, as the cost of childcare for four young children is not financially feasible. Despite these constraints, the family has remained committed to meeting their household obligations. However, a series of recent events has created a significant and unsustainable financial burden.
Since the patient’s birth, the mother has been experiencing ongoing, undiagnosed medical concerns requiring care from multiple specialists. As a result, she has accumulated substantial medical debt, with out-of-pocket costs for medications and supplies. This also includes the hospital bill from where the patient was delivered and transferred to ACH from.
Compounding these challenges, the family has experienced critical vehicle issues for both of their vehicles. While the family has worked with a charitable organization to reduce the cost, they still owe $4,988.35. At this time, they do not have the financial means to cover this expense. Therefore, we are submitting for your consideration a request for $4,988.35 to cover the remaining cost for the auto repair
After discussion, the committee decided to support the repair of one vehicie, rather than the requested 2 vehicles, and approved $3000.
The total support provided by the Baby Sharon Fund in April was $10335.37