Almost Home Kids™ (AHK) is a nonprofit that Almost Home Kids provides a bridge from hospital to home through an innovative community-based care system for children with medical complexities. We respond to the needs of families, train caregivers, offer respite care, advocate for accessibility and inclusion and educate healthcare professionals. Three out of four families served at AHK live at or below the federal poverty level. AHK helps children who need short-term care avoid entering more costly facilities, thereby saving state and federal government an estimated $10 million per year, per site, in Medicaid expense each year.
Founded in Naperville in 1999, AHK has served more than 850 children. Yet the need for transitional care for children who are medically complex is growing. An estimated 6,000 Illinois children’s lives depend upon medical technology. In 2012, AHK opened a new facility on the 6th floor at 211 E. Grand Avenue in Chicago. The expansion allows AHK to continue to support families receiving care at the new Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Prentice Women’s Hospital and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. A third Almost Home Kids at OSF HealthCare Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria opened in 2018. For more information, visit www.almosthomekids.org.