(Left to Right, Back Row: Family Life Center Director Tami Shull, Crisis Nursery Board Member Ron Will. Front Row: HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital President and CEO Theresa Rutherford, Crisis Nursery Board President Meghan Rewers, St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Kelly Sager.)
Representatives from Crisis Nursery of Effingham County hosted a press conference Friday at the Nursery’s future location. The Nursery has been in the planning phase for a little over a year, with finding a location being one of the major hurdles. It appeared a few weeks ago that the Crisis Nursery would have a home in the Health Department Building. Instead the nursery will be in the former Silk Purse Thrift Store building, which was donated to the Nursery by the Family Life Center.
Crisis Nursery Board President Meghan Rewers spoke at the press conference, thanking the Family Life Center and HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital for their contributions to the nursery. Along with providing the facility, the Family Life Center will direct families in need to the nursery. St. Anthony’s Hospital has pledged to donate materials needed for the startup of the nursery, including assistance with the renovation of their location.
Rewers talked about the services that the Nursery hopes to provide to the community (press play below).
The Crisis Nursery was established to work towards the prevention of and protection from childhood trauma, abuse and neglect. The nursery has no income or demographic requirements to access their services. Additionally, all services are free and available to anyone in Effingham and surrounding counties. The nursery offers 24-hour short term emergency care for children birth through age 6, planned respite care on a case-by-case basis, free in-kind goods while children are in our care, and quality care and counsel provided by trained staff and volunteers.
Crisis Nursery defines a crisis as anything that may put a child or family at risk. Some of the more common reasons families use Crisis Nursery include parental stress, domestic violence, mental health crisis, medical crisis, job/school related and court involvement.
Renovation of the facility is expected to begin in the near future, with doors opening this fall. Meghan Rewers can be contacted at 217-343-7438 if anyone has any questions or wants to volunteer.