Transplant Center

Volunteer Services

You would be hard pressed to find an area of The Nebraska Medical Center that the Volunteer
Services program hasn’t touched. Transplant patients in particular come to depend on a variety of services provided best by volunteers. In fact, families from all over the world are often pleasantly surprised by how The Nebraska Medical Center volunteers make them feel more at home in Omaha.

Transportation
Patients need not be bothered with cab fare for trips to and from the airport, bus or train station. Thanks to a unique program, transportation volunteers help to make staying in an unfamiliar city much easier for families with or without their own transportation. This program makes every effort to provide:

• Volunteers between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., seven days a week
• Regularly scheduled rides to local grocery stores and retail outlets

Volunteer Companions
Transplant patients have the option of being assigned a volunteer companion. This unique program was awarded a “Point of Light” from former President Bush in 1991 and highlights:

• Volunteers specially trained in the transplant experience
• A friendly face and a ready ear
• An extra set of hands to help during and after hospitalization
• Assistance with running errands, laundry, writing letters or simply helping families pass the time

Look Good...Feel Better
In conjunction with the American Cancer Society, volunteers offer sessions for women recovering from cancer treatment and provides:

• A cosmetologist trained in using makeup, wigs and accessories to help women cope with appearance changes caused by chemotherapy and radiation
• A complimentary package of cosmetics valued at more than $200

Gift Shops
Whether you need a magazine to pass the time or a balloon to cheer up a child, Volunteer Services has the answer for you.

• CornerStone Gifts, located in the University Tower
• Clarkson Gift Shop, located in Clarkson Tower

More information about The Nebraska Medical Center volunteers can be found by calling the Volunteer Services office at (402) 559-4197.

Support Groups

Weekly and monthly support groups are available for solid organ transplant patients and their families. The groups are designed to provide support in coping with the stresses involved in the transplant process.

Solid Organ Support Groups
Meets every Wednesday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in conference room three on the second floor of The Lied Transplant Center at 43rd and Emile Streets, Omaha.

This support group, facilitated by The Nebraska Medical Center social workers, is for anyone who has had a solid organ transplant. Attendees can share experiences and discuss patient issues in an environment just for solid organ transplant patients.

New Hearts, Inc.
This group is open to all organ transplant recipients, potential recipients or their families. For more information, talk with a transplant coordinator or contact Shirley Kramer, Treasurer of New Hearts, Inc. at (402) 339-8946.

Additional Resources
For information on national resources, you can visit the UNMC McGoogan Library Transplantation Resources.

Educational Support Services

Early Learning Program
The Early Learning Program is an optional service offered to pediatric patients from birth through age five at The Nebraska Medical Center. The goals are to support you and your child through individual developmental play sessions during hospitalization and to act as a resource. Play and learning activities can contribute to your child having a positive hospital experience.

Services the developmental specialist may provide:

• Obtain information about what your son/daughter likes to do and share what you have noticed about your child.
• Observe and play with your child to assess strengths and areas of need.
• Teach your child through activities that are fun and educational.
• Provide information about how your child learns and ways you can encourage learning through play and family routines.
• Communicate and discuss developmental milestones and accomplishments.
• Share information with the medical team about what your child is learning.
• Locate early learning intervention services in your home community if desired.

Mary Egan
Developmental Specialist
402-559-6354 (office)     402-888-1733 (pager)

School Age Program
Our School Intervention Program offers patients educational services to assist in preventing or minimizing future educational issues related to medical absences, the diagnosis, and/or treatment. We value normalizing patient stays and coordinating efforts to keep students caught up in school.

Services include:

• Direct instruction for K-12 students
• Collaboration with home school district personnel (teachers, administrators, counselors)
• Adaptation of assignments to fit medical conditions
• Facilitation of patient/classmate communications (letters, phone calls, emails, skpe)
• Sharing academic progress made during hospitalization with school personnel
• Updating patient’s medical chart and work with medical team communicate academic progress
• Referrals to local school districts
• Assistance with school reentry
• Opportunities to practice normal social interactions

Education for siblings
If requested, contact information to enroll siblings in local schools will be provided.

Lisa Gulseth
Educational Consultant
402-559-5020 (office)     402-888-1646 (pager)

The City of Omaha

If you choose The Nebraska Medical Center for your transplant, Omaha will become your second home for a short time. Those not familiar with our city will be pleasantly surprised to learn the particulars of this Midwestern metropolitan area. After spending time in Omaha you’ll come to appreciate what residents consider the perfect hybrid between small town friendliness and big city amenities.

Ease of Transportation
Only a few short hours by airplane to either coast, or less than a day’s drive to several major U.S. cities. Omaha is centrally located.

Eppley Airfield, conveniently located five minutes from downtown Omaha, provides air travel from 11 major regional air carriers, including two commuter airlines. Non-stop flights are available to such major cities as Denver, Kansas City, Chicago, Minneapolis, Washington D.C., Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Atlanta among others.

Interstate 80 links Omaha to the East and West coasts. Northern and southern travelers will find Omaha via Interstate 29. The city is also serviced by Amtrak for rail service and Charter bus lines for coast-to-coast travel.

Cultural and Recreational Activities
The most pleasant surprise to big-city dwellers is the diversity of Omaha’s cultural attractions. Here you’ll find everything from opera and ballet to the zoo, fine restaurants to ethnic delights, sports and outdoor fun to mall madness. A few of the top Omaha attractions include:

• Henry Doorly Zoo
• Holland Performing Arts Center
• Joslyn Art Museum and Jazz on the Green
• Opera Omaha
• Omaha Community Playhouse
• Emmy Gifford Children’s Theater
• Omaha Symphony Orchestra
• Orpheum Theater
• Durham Western Heritage Museum
• Shakespeare on the Green
• Strategic Air and Space Museum
• Lee Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari
• Lauritzen Garden
• Omaha Royals
• College World Series
• Omaha Lancers Hockey
• UNO Mavericks Hockey
• Cox Classic Golf Tournament
• Creighton Bluejay Basketball
• Omaha Beef Indoor Football

To learn more about Omaha, visit:
www.omahachamber.org
www.visitomaha.com