Lifehouse Maternity Home Wins National Award and $100,000 for Community Initiative

CHARLOTTE, N.C. & LOUISVILLE, K.Y. — Lifehouse Maternity Home, a non-profit organization providing a home and compassionate care for high-risk pregnant women and their babies in Louisville, has received the 27th annual Monroe E. Trout Premier Cares Award and a $100,000 cash prize from Premier Inc.

Sponsored by Premier and its alliance of more than 4,000 hospitals and health systems and approximately 165,000 other provider organizations, the Premier Cares Award recognizes exemplary efforts by not-for-profit community organizations to improve the health of populations in need. The award and cash prize celebrates and supports Lifehouse Maternity Home’s voluntary program in providing holistic, residential maternal programs and services.

“The Premier Cares Award honors outstanding organizations that are making great strides in effectively meeting the needs of their communities,” said Susan DeVore, CEO of Premier. “We are thrilled to recognize a program that provides guidance and supports women and children during one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. Congratulations to Lifehouse Maternity Home and all of its volunteers that are working tirelessly to ensure mothers in their community are able to safely deliver and confidently provide for their children.”

Lifehouse uses a unique and individualized approach to help women with unexpected pregnancies, including teens, homeless women and those suffering from addiction, improve multiple facets of their lives so they deliver healthy babies and gain the necessary skills to live productive, independent lives. Beginning with the most basic issues (food and housing) and healthcare services, Lifehouse expands into life-skills training that involves personal financial training/planning, educational assistance, job search/placement, and counseling. House mothers, who also live 24/7 at Lifehouse, interact with the women staying at Lifehouse daily, ensuring that everyone is on schedule, that personal issues are being addressed, and that the environment is both comfortable and safe.

“The women that come into our home are some of the most marginalized and under-served members of society,” said Dolli Neikirk, Executive Director, Lifehouse Maternity Home. “Our mission is to provide support, education and structure for these women, so they have the skills and tools to live a happy, spiritually fulfilled life. Thank you to Premier for recognizing the incredible work of Lifehouse Maternity Home. We are thrilled to receive this award, as well as the funds that will be used to continue to help mothers land on their feet.”

A panel of national healthcare leaders from the Premier alliance selects the Premier Cares Award winner each year. The program spotlights community-based healthcare initiatives and helps other organizations learn to replicate the unique programs, as well as provides funding support to help winners further improve their programs. The program has provided more than $3 million to more than 100 organizations nationwide.

About Lifehouse Maternity Home

Lifehouse is a residential program addressing the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of pregnant and parenting women and teens in crisis by transforming their lives through the healing touch of Christ. The program serves women and teens from throughout the country, offering the basic necessities of food and shelter, while ensuring residents receive vital prenatal and medical care, parenting and life skills, counseling, education, and job opportunities.

About the Premier Cares Award

Premier has presented the Cares Award annually since 1991, when it was created by Dr. Monroe E. Trout, former CEO of American Healthcare Systems, one of Premier’s heritage organizations. The program has provided more than $3 million to more than 100 organizations nationwide. The competition is open to not-for-profit affiliates and members of Premier that have been in existence for more than two years, are providing creative solutions to health status improvement, can provide documentation of outcomes and impact on a specific population, and have programs that can be replicated in other communities.