POWERGRAMS

43 COMMUNITY Foundation gift helps build a clinic for Deaf, Blind Students You could say the health center at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB) was like an aging baseball player: no longer able to do what was expected or needed as the years took their toll. But the Alabama Power Foundation stepped up to the plate and hit a home run: A $500,000 lead gift paved the way to raise $2 million for construction of a nursing clinic providing more than 30,000 medical services annually to deaf, blind and multidisabled infants, toddlers, children, adults and senior citizens. The AIDB, founded before the Civil War, provides educational and rehabilitation services to 26,000 people around the state. Although there are regional centers in eight Alabama cities, the heart of the AIDB is the historic Talladega campus, including schools for the deaf and blind; the Helen Keller School for deaf and blind children with multiple disabilities; the E.H. Gentry Facility, featuring a post-secondary adult rehabilitation program focused on job training, independent living and assistive technology; and Alabama Industries for the Blind. A wide range of medical services were provided to AIDB students on the third floor of the 81-year-old Dowling Health and Clinical Services Building. But its age caused multiple problems, said Lynne Hanner, AIDB director of Institutional Advancement. The elevator held few people and was too small for a stretcher in an emergency. Taking the stairs was not an option for those with multiple disabilities. The building didn't have an awning, causing patients to get wet when entering. The layout of patient rooms, exam areas and nurses' stations made it hard to monitor children. It may not have been totally dysfunctional, but it was not far from it. The 6,000-square-foot Alabama Power Foundation Nursing Clinic, which opened a year ago, scored big. "When the new clinic opened at the start of the 2018 school year, it addressed all these accessibility and service issues," Hanner said. "AIDB is a phenomenal bright spot for the state," said Myla Calhoun, president of the Alabama Power Foundation, at the clinic grand opening. "I think that our involvement is an honor for us as much as anything." The difference between the old and new buildings is remarkable, said Dr. Dee Fuller, AIDB's director of nursing. "The new design and layout provide a comfortable and cheerful environment for children when they are sick and need to be monitored by the nurse," Fuller said. "We assess injuries, administer meds and offer the tender loving care our students need to feel better as quickly as possible so they can return to their normal schedule. Some students require daily medications and we ensure they are administered properly. "You could say we practice school nursing in a home environment at AIDB," Fuller continued. "The new Alabama Power Foundation Nursing Clinic is yet another way we emphasize the potential of our students by encouraging good health habits." The clinic is not the first time the Alabama Power Foundation has helped AIDB, having supported capital projects and program needs since 1990. "The company's impact is strongly felt in every area of AIDB," Hanner said. By Gilbert Nicholson 45

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