Ryan House solves unmet needs of children with life-limiting sickness

End-of-life doulas, or death doulas, are non-medical aides that help guide people through the process of dying. Death doulas provide various forms of support to dying people and their families like death planning and listening to grieving loved ones. The National End-of-Life Doula Alliance currently has more than 1,500 members worldwide, a 300-person increase from 2019 when the nonprofit was formed.

North Carolina's MORES (Mobile Outreach, Response, Engagement and Stabilization) program sends mental health crisis teams directly to families' homes when children experience behavioral health crises. Unlike traditional crisis services that respond once and leave, MORES teams, consisting of licensed clinicians and peer support specialists, follow up with families for up to eight weeks, providing de-escalation, therapy, skills training, and connections to ongoing services. Since launching in 2023 across 20 counties, the program has served 645 families.

The Kano Childhood Cancer Foundation helps provide care, counseling and financial support to families with children suffering from cancer. The Foundation helps pay for treatment like chemotherapy and other medications and currently has 24 patients in their care.

The Festus Fajemilo Foundation teaches parents how to care for children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus and helps fund treatment and surgery costs for families who can’t afford it. The foundation connects with parents through social media, radio, TV, and public lectures like its annual “Go-Folic” campaign which encourages women on the importance of folic acid and has reached 10,000 people so far.

Ekiti State, Nigeria, implemented a coordinated three-pronged approach that reduced neonatal, infant, and under-five mortality rates by more than 50% over five years, saving approximately 45,000 children's lives. The response combined strengthening the medical supply chain, increasing demand for care by engaging with community leaders and holding weekly meetings with health system stakeholders.

The Good Samaritan Nutritional Center supports mothers and their babies born with cleft palates in obtaining proper nutrition in order to be eligible for corrective surgery. The Center partners with local health facilities to perform the surgeries. The initiative has been active for 20 years now and has served over 15,000 children.

Organizations like OutFront are offering safe spaces with a variety of programs and services for LGBTQ+ youth. From providing access to education and accurate information to connecting youth with LGBTQ+ mentors and providing housing for those experiencing homelessness, OutFront allows LGBTQ+ youth to form connections and community in person and online through the group’s Discord server.

School-based health centers provide free services including flu shots, physicals, contraceptive care and reproductive education, talk therapy and behavioral health care to students. Research has found that these school-based clinics boost vaccination rates, reduce hospital visits, lower rates of teen pregnancy and depression and improve grades and attendance levels, all while reducing disparities and making healthcare more accessible.

The Child Health-Law Partnership (Child HeLP) is a collaboration between health and legal professionals to treat a patient’s “health-harming legal needs” together. The original medical-legal partnership began 30 years ago in Boston, but has since expanded to other cities to look at all aspects of a patient's health. To administer the best care, patients are asked questions about housing quality and stability, delays or denials of public benefits, unmet educational needs and mental health.

Haske Children Foundation provides medical supplies, check-ups and surgeries to children with disabilities on a regular basis, having served 200 children so far. The Foundation also leads discussions about disabilities, working to address the stigma and change the negative narrative many locals have about those with disabilities.