UnityPoint Health – Meriter, in downtown Madison, is directly
across the street from The Triangle, a public housing complex for low-income
adults, many of whom are medically fragile and were recently homeless.
Staff at Meriter noticed Triangle residents were frequently visiting the Emergency Department for
issues that, while important, were not emergent, things like sore backs,
shoulders, knees and hips. We reached out to Laura Wichert, CDA Service
Coordinator at The Triangle, and came up with a simple solution: beds.
“A significant number of our residents were sleeping on the
floor or air mattresses. Many of our residents already have compromised health,
so this exacerbates it,” said Wichert. “We’re really hoping to help our
residents get a good night’s sleep.”
“As the community health system, our job to look for innovative
ways to help the community we serve. If something as simple as a new bed and a
good night’s sleep is going to help someone’s health and well-being, we will
work with our neighbors to make that happen.”
Steinhafels graciously helped
with pricing.
“We’re a family-owned business and we like to help the
community,” said Joe Heins, manager at Steinhafels. “When people are sleeping
on the floor with no mattresses or on an air mattress for a year and a half,
two years, it’s really hard to see.”
Thanks to this new partnership, it’s not something residents
will have to endure much longer. This month Steinhafels delivered the first
batch of new beds to Triangle residents, including Guy Heine, a 62-year-old
veteran who has been sleeping on a leaky air mattress and Gary McAdow, also a
veteran, who said it was “going to take months to wrap [his] head around the
fact [he] has a bed.”
“We are really, really grateful for the generosity of our
neighbors at UnityPoint Health – Meriter and to Steinhafels for giving us an
excellent deal to purchase the beds,” said Wichert. “The residents are so
thrilled, excited and grateful. It’s a really happy day here.”
Meriter also provided new pillows and sheet sets. Meriter and
Steinhafel’s have also committed to coming back each month to deliver beds to even
more residents.
A Heartwarming Video:
Wisconsin State Journal: Up Off The Floor: Partnership Delivers New Beds to Residents in City Housing