Published January 3, 2018
The Living Well Foundation has awarded a total of $73,295 to three University of Louisiana
Monroe programs that serve the northeast Louisiana community.
The money, awarded by the foundation during its fall grant cycle, expands Living Well’s
commitment to the university. It already provides ongoing funding to ULM’s dental
hygiene clinic and Autism Center.
The new funding was awarded to ULM’s Autism Center, Literacy Clinic and Occupational
Therapy Clinic.
Alice Prophit, president and CEO of the Living Well Foundation, said the three programs
fit within the foundation’s mission.
Living Well Foundation was established in 2006 with proceeds of more than $44 million
obtained when Hospital Service District No. 1 sold Glenwood Regional Medical Center
to IASIS Healthcare. At the time, the foundation was named Ward Five Healthcare Foundation
but changed its name in 2010 to better reflect the foundation’s impact on the community.
“Because we were created from a sold public entity, what we support is clearly defined,”
Prophit said. “We support projects and services that are health and well-being based,
and our constituents are eight parishes — Ouachita and the contiguous parishes.”
Living Well provided:
— A $10,500 grant to ULM’s Literacy Clinic.
— A $30,599 grant to ULM’s Occupational Therapy Clinic.
— A $32,196 grant to the Autism Clinic, the third time Living Well provided funding
to the program.
“The concentration on health care by these programs is very much in sync with our
mission,” Prophit said. “First, the curricula settings develop professionals to serve
this region. And the programs provide direct services to the community.”
Dr. John Sutherlin, Executive Director of the Research Corporation of Louisiana and
an associate professor of political science at ULM, said the grants serve as an affirmation
of ULM’s service to the community and will only make the programs stronger.
“Perhaps nothing reflects the commitment our faculty and staff have made to make our
community better than these grants. The Living Well Foundation has provided our faculty
with an opportunity to expand efforts into making the community stronger,” he said.
Funding for the Occupational Therapy Clinic will expand services provided, said Dr.
Patti Calk, associate director of ULM’s School of Health Professions.
The grant, she said, “will specifically be used to hire an occupational therapist
to work in our OT on-campus clinic and purchase therapeutic equipment to enhance the
services that we provide. The focus of the grant is to provide OT services to children
and adolescents to improve their ability to participate in their daily activities
and educational environments.”
In the summer of 2016, ULM opened the on-campus clinic to provide services to people
in the community who are unable to receive services elsewhere or who need additional
services. The on-campus clinic also provides an opportunity for occupational therapy
assistant students to learn through observation and providing direct services. Currently,
the number of clients served is limited by the number of hours faculty members are
able to donate to the clinic.
“The receipt of this grant is extremely important and will increase the number of
patients and quality of services that we are able to provide,” Calk said.
Money awarded to the Autism Center will provide direct evaluation and treatment services
for children up to age 18 and their families, said Dr. David Irwin, professor, and
director of the Speech-Language Pathology Program and the Autism Center.
“The professionals at the Autism Center at ULM provide diagnostic evaluation services
for anyone referred in northeast Louisiana,” Irwin said. “This involves specially
trained professionals administering the ‘gold standard’ instruments for the diagnosis
of Autism Spectrum Disorder,” Irwin said.
The funds from Living Well will allow licensed and certified professionals to provide
direct and consultative treatment services. The faculty supervises graduate students
in speech-language pathology to work with a variety of treatment approaches for children
and youth diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
“The individuals need access to quality health care without traveling long distances,”
Irwin said. “Prior to the opening of the AC-ULM, families were traveling to New Orleans,
Little Rock, Arkansas, and Jackson, Mississippi, for evaluation services. Northeast
Louisiana has many families who are underserved or unserved because of many variables.
The funds from the LWF have been the sole source of support at this time to support
the AC-ULM,” he said.
Prophit said the money granted to the Literacy Clinic will further develop client
communication skills, including speech pathology.
The Literacy Clinic provides an intensive reading and writing experience in both individual
and group settings. This program strives to address the needs of children who may
have experienced a prolonged and significant lack of success in reading and writing.
“The clinic works to improve speaking and thinking processes,” Prophit said, skills
necessary in the workplace.
