Health Hero Recap

See what your dollars did to help people facing a health diagnosis

in our community

THANK YOU FOR BEING A HEALTH HERO!

We were honored to partner with Physicians Mutual, Great Western Bank, Hancock Dana, Lindsay Corporation and KETV on Health Hero Giving Day to support the 21 Combined Health Agencies Drive (CHAD) organizations! CHAD and United Way of the Midlands have been partners since 1987. With the support of our sponsors, super donors, Nebraska Medicine and Election Systems & Software and more than 100 individual donors, we raised a total of $42,870! Additionally we received $17,180 of media in-kind to help promote Health Hero Giving Day. 100% of every donation went directly back to these charities to continue the great work they are doing in our community.

THE IMPACT OF YOUR DOLLARS

Donations to CHAD agencies on Health Hero Giving Day provide care and support for those affected by a health diagnosis; fund education and prevention programs in our communities and support advocacy and medical research.

Care & Support

Education & Prevention

Advocacy & Research

$10 provides adaptive equipment such as utensils or zipper pulls to aid in activities of daily living.

$25 creates a sensory kit for an individual with autism.

$500 helps provide resource facilitation for someone with a brain injury.

$500 provides a full scholarship to Camp Spirit for a child with juvenile arthritis.

$250 provides autism training to a business.

$220 provides educational materials to medical professionals.

$10 funds 8 minutes of a clinical trial providing new treatments for a child fighting a brain tumor.

$50 helps support the Brain Injury Annual Conference.

$100 provides funding for the mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Supported Charites

The ALS Association Mid-America Chapter

The ALS Association is leading the fight to treat and cure ALS through global research and nationwide advocacy while also empowering people with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease and their families to live fuller lives by providing them with compassionate care and support.

More than 100 people living with ALS in Nebraska are being served by the Chapter. 85 of those individuals live in the greater Omaha/Council Bluffs area.
Every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with or passes away from ALS.

Alzheimer’s Association Nebraska Chapter

More than 100 people living with ALS in Nebraska are being served by the Chapter. 85 of those individuals live in the greater Omaha/Council Bluffs area.
Every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with or passes away from ALS.

American Lung Association in Nebraska

We are powered by everyday heroes and volunteers! Your support fuels our mission. Our programs, initiatives and events help millions of Americans every day. Your tax-deductible donation funds lung disease and lung cancer medical research, new treatments, CT screenings, lung health education and more.

Estimated people in Nebraska with lung disease:

23,600 kids with asthma
128,800 adults with asthma
91,500 people with COPD
1,160 people with lung cancer
In total, there are 250,000 people living with chronic lung disease.
An estimated 1,300 new cases of lung cancer are expected to be diagnosed each year in Nebraska.

Arthritis Foundation Nebraska

Leading the fight for the arthritis community, the Arthritis Foundation helps conquer everyday battles through life-changing information and resources, access to optimal care, advancements in science and community connections.

Approximately 345,000 Nebraskans

Autism Action Partnership

Autism Action Partnership (AAP) has served the needs of the Nebraska autism community for over a decade. Over that time, the diagnosis and prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has grown significantly, worldwide and locally. In 2020, the Center for Disease Control released a study indicating that 1 in 54 children are being diagnosed with ASD, which is nearly 2% of all children. With the growing population has come a greater array of needs and a greater demand of services for individuals with autism and their families. With your support, AAP will continue to serve the autism community, as well as create a more inclusive and sensory-friendly community for those affected by autism to enjoy.

The CDC estimates that 1 in 54 children are diagnosed with autism. This means up to 32,500 Nebraskans could be affected.
Autism is more prevalent than juvenile diabetes, pediatric AIDS, leukemia and muscular dystrophy combined.
Autism affects all ethnic and socioeconomic groups; yet minority groups tend to be diagnosed later and less often.
Two-thirds of children with autism have been bullied.
About half of the individuals affected by autism wander or bolt from safety and drowning accounts for approximately 90% of deaths related to wandering incidents by those 14 and younger.
Over the next decade, an estimated 707,000 to 1,116,000 teens (70,700 to 111,600 annually) will enter adulthood and age out of school-based autism services.
More than half of young adults with autism remain unemployed and unenrolled in higher education in the two years after high school. This is a lower rate than that of young adults in other disability categories, including learning disabilities, intellectual disability, or speech-language impairment.
Nearly half of 25-year-olds with autism have never held a paying job.
Autism costs a family approximately $60,000 annually for special services and lost wages.
The majority of autism’s costs in the U.S. are for adult services – an estimated $175 to $196 billion a year, compared to $61 to $66 billion a year for children.

Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska

Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska is the only statewide nonprofit exclusively dedicated to brain injury in our state. As such, it strives to enhance the quality of life for the more than 36,000 individuals living with disabilities caused by brain injury, as well as their families.

Statewide, an estimated 36,000 people live with a disability due to brain injury.
On average, 13,634 TBI cases are reported annually on the Nebraska Brain Injury Registry.

Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation

Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding the cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improving the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. Since our founding, the Foundation has remained at the forefront of research in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

An estimated 1 in 100 Americans suffer from Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
Statewide, there are over 20,000 individuals living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – Nebraska Chapter

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation works to cure cystic fibrosis (CF) and provide all people with CF the opportunity to lead full, productive lives by funding research and drug development, promoting individualized treatment and ensuring access to high-quality, specialized care.

272 people in Nebraska have cystic fibrosis.
More than 30,000 people in the U.S. are living with cystic fibrosis (more than 70,000 worldwide).
Approximately 1,000 new cases of CF are diagnosed each year.
More than 75 percent of people with CF are diagnosed by age 2.
More than half of the CF population is age 18 or older.

JDRF Nebraska-Iowa Chapter

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which the person’s pancreas stops producing insulin. There is no remission, no days off, and at the moment – no cure. Those with T1D have to monitor and manage blood sugar levels, continually infuse insulin through a pump or injections, and carefully balance insulin doses with eating and activities throughout the day and night. Even with intensive disease management, a significant portion of the day is still spent with high or low blood-sugar levels, placing them at risk for devastating complications.

Diabetes is a common and growing disease in Nebraska. Approximately 128,800 people‚ or 9.2 percent of the state‚ population have diabetes.
Some 1.25 million Americans are living with T1D, including about 200,000 youth (less than 20 years old) and more than 1 million adults (20 years old and older).
5 million people in the U.S. are expected to have T1D by 2050, including nearly 600,000 youth.
Warning signs of T1D often appear suddenly and may include: drowsiness or lethargy, extreme thirst, frequent urination, increased appetite, heavy or labored breathing, sudden weight loss and/or sudden vision changes.

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – Nebraska Chapter

The mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS exists to find cures and ensure access to treatments for blood cancer patients. We are the voice for all blood cancer patients, and we work to ensure access to treatments for all blood cancer patients.

Statewide, 12,156 people have been diagnosed with a blood cancer and nationwide, that number is 1,237,824.
Every 3 minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer.

March of Dimes Nebraska & Western Iowa

March of Dimes fights for the health of all moms and babies. We’re advocating for policies to protect them. We’re working to radically improve the health care they receive. We’re pioneering research to find solutions. We’re empowering families with programs, knowledge and tools to have healthier pregnancies. By uniting communities, we’re building a brighter future for us all.

Every three hours, a baby in Nebraska is born prematurely. Babies who are born too small, too soon, may die or suffer life-long health consequences.
Each year, there are more than 410,000 premature births nationwide; there are more than 2,600 premature births in Nebraska.
The cost associated with premature birth in the United States is approximately $26.2 billion each year.
Women of color are twice as likely to have birth complications or die during birth due to our country’s worsening health equity gap.
For the 5th year in a row, the prematurity rate has risen, and the US continues to be one of the most dangerous countries to have a baby.

Muscular Dystrophy Association

MDA is committed to transforming the lives of individuals with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases through innovations in science and innovations in care. MDA works tirelessly on behalf of the neuromuscular disease community. We’ve done so for 70 years. MDA is on the frontline protecting our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your support is needed now more than ever.

Over 1,400 children and adults in Nebraska and Southwest Iowa have been registered with MDA to receive services provided by MDA.
Muscular Dystrophy can affect people of all ages. Although some forms become apparent in infancy or childhood, others may not appear until middle age or later.
Individuals affected by any of the 43 neuromuscular diseases in MDA’s program have access to a nationwide network of some 200 hospital-affiliated clinics and 40 ALS research and clinical care centers staffed by top health professionals.

National Hemophilia Foundation – Nebraska Chapter

Nebraska Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation is dedicated to finding better treatments and cures for inheritable bleeding disorders and to preventing the complications of these disorders through education, advocacy and research. We support all individuals and families affected with inherited bleeding disorders like Hemophilia, Von Willebrand Disease and other rare factor disorders. Your support benefits the Nebraska bleeding disorders community by allowing us to advocate for the needs of the community locally and nationally with our elected officials and health organizations, provides education and support from birth on and supports research and innovation to find a cure.

Nearly 125 people in Nebraska have hemophilia. It’s estimated that more than 10,000 people have some kind of bleeding disorder.
In Nebraska, there are 2,450 people affected by a bleeding disorder, including those affected, family members and caregivers.
1 in 5,000 males is estimated to have hemophilia at birth.
Von Willebrand affects an estimated 1% of the population.

National MS Society Mid America Chapter

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society exists because there are people with MS. Our vision is a world free of MS. We will cure MS while empowering people affected by MS to live their best lives.

We are more than an organization. We are a movement – united in our collective power to do something about MS now and end this disease forever. We are the gathering place for people with MS, their family and loved ones, healthcare providers, volunteers, donors, fundraisers, advocates, community leaders and all those that seek a world free of MS. We are a place to connect and take action. In order to change the world, we mobilize all possible human and financial resources to achieve results.

In Nebraska, more than 3,200 people have MS, but including family members and caregivers, more than 13,000 people are affected by MS.
The cause of MS is still unknown. Scientists believe that a combination of environmental and genetic factors contribute to the risk of developing MS.
The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease.
Nearly 1 million people are living with MS in the United States, according to a study funded by the National MS Society.

Nebraska Aids Project

Nebraska AIDS Project leads the community in the fight to overcome HIV/AIDS and its stigma through education, support services and advocacy.

More than 2,500 cases of HIV/AIDS have been identified in Nebraska. Nationwide, this number is more than 1.2 million.
NAP in a typical year:

Administers nearly 6,000 HIV tests throughout our service area
Provides more than 3,000 STI (Gonorrhea and Chlamydia) tests
Distributeds more than 62,000 free condoms
Connects 50 individuals to free PrEP access

Nebraska Community Blood Bank

Why your gift is needed:

NCBB is one of the nation’s blood banks selected to participate in the federal Operation Warp Speed initiative, offering testing for COVID-19 antibodies in order to identify potential donors of a life-saving specialty blood product called convalescent plasma
1 in 3 people will need a blood transfusion in their lifetime.
Only 38% of people are eligible to donate blood, though everyone may someday need it.
Every 2 seconds someone needs blood.
Blood transfusion is the most common hospitalization procedure in the United States.
NCBB recently expanded its life-saving reach and opened a donor center in Omaha

Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Association

Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Association is a statewide partnership that exists to improve the quality of life for all Nebraskans who have chronic conditions or are near the end of life and to support the various communities who care for them. Hospice provides care for all ages and includes a team of professionals to provide support: a doctor, nurse, social worker, chaplain (if desired), other specialists as needed and volunteers.

Every year, more than 9,000 people receive hospice services in Nebraska.
According to the 2017 Nebraska End-of-Life Survey Report:
- 95% of respondents said they have heard of hospice services, and 37% said they have heard of palliative care.
- 92% of respondents said they will need someone to know what they want when they die.
- 29% of respondents have completed a health care power of attorney.
- 70% of respondents are afraid of dying painfully.
- 84% of respondents are comfortable with talking about death.

Nebraska Kidney Association

Nebraska Kidney Association has been helping Nebraska kidney and transplant patients for more than 45 years, working to provide education, programs and services, screening opportunities and advocacy for those affected by kidney disease or organ donation.

75,847 people in Nebraska have kidney disease. This is 16.6% of people in the state. Nationwide, this number is 19 million.
The average cost for a patient on dialysis is $89,000.
Dialysis is a $20.8 billion annual cost of the Medicare ESRD program.
Every 10 minutes, someone is added to the National Transplant waiting list.
On average, 22 people die each day waiting for a life-saving transplant.
One organ donor can save up to eight lives.

Susan G. Komen Great Plains

Susan G. Komen Great Plains provides breast health information and resources to empower individuals to make informed breast care decisions and provides treatment assistance grants for uninsured, underinsured and low-income men and women unable to access care. Komen also invests thousands of dollars every year into research programs to develop new therapies and, one day, to find cures for breast cancer.

Team Jack Foundation

Team Jack Foundation’s mission is to fund impactful childhood brain cancer research and work to raise national awareness for the disease. Childhood brain cancer affects nearly 4,600 children each year, making it the leading cancer cause of death in children. Each year, less than four percent of U.S. federal funding is solely dedicated to childhood cancer research, and even less than this is spent on child brain cancer research. The Team Jack Foundation has raised more than $8.3 million for brain cancer research. The funding is currently fueling nine research projects nationwide. The Team Jack Foundation is working with world-renowned researchers, directly, to develop relevant and impactful research initiatives.

Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer death from childhood cancer.
4,600 children are diagnosed with a brain tumor annually.
More than 28,000 children (0-14 years of age) are estimated to be living with a brain tumor in the United States.
The incidence of childhood cancer in Nebraska exceeds the incidence in the United States.
Nationally, Nebraska has the 5th highest incidence rate per capita, and even more alarming is that Nebraska has the highest mortality rate in the United States.
From 2010 and 2014, brain and central nervous system (CNS) tumors were the most frequently diagnosed pediatric cancers in Nebraska, accounting for 156 cases.
Every day, 13 children in the United States are diagnosed with a brain tumor.
We may spend three to five times the amount of research money per patient on most adult cancer cases than we do on children with cancer.
Less than 4% of the National Cancer Institute’s research investments are spent on childhood cancer, let alone child brain cancer.
Research that focuses specifically on pediatric brain tumors is crucial to saving children’s lives and improving survivors’ quality of life.
The BIGGEST obstacle to NEW childhood brain tumor research studies is the lack of funding. Due to very little Federal funding on pediatric brain cancer research, private Foundations like Team Jack play a critical role in supporting research.
In addition to funding research, the Foundation works closely with over 70 families in Nebraska and surrounding states who are affected by brain cancer to offer support and to introduce them to others who are affected by the disease. This is known as the Team Jack Family.

United Cerebral Palsy of Nebraska

Cerebral palsy is a non-progressive disorder of the motor control areas of the developing brain. It is caused by damage to one or more specific areas of the brain. There is no cure for cerebral palsy; however, treatments that reduce the symptoms can improve quality of life. United Cerebral Palsy of Nebraska provides education, advocacy, grants and social programs to individuals and their families with cerebral palsy and similar disorders.

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is caused by damage to a developing brain. CP affects motor skills, coordination, muscle tone, reflexes, posture and balance depending upon where and how the brain is injured.
About 1 in 323 people are affected by Cerebral Palsy.
Cerebral Palsy is the most common motor disability in childhood. The prevalence is higher for children born premature or at low birth weight.
CDC estimates the lifetime cost to care for an individual with Cerebral Palsy is over 1 million dollars.
There is no cure for CP however, treatments that reduce the symptoms can improve quality of life.
An estimated 4,500 to 6,500 Nebraskans have Cerebral Palsy.

About the Author Emily is the Marketing Coordinator at United Way of the Midlands. She helps the team with all aspects of marketing projects. Emily finds it incredibly rewarding to be able to support our community through storytelling. Emily enjoys reading a good book, podcasts, and volunteering.