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December 7, 2021
- On June 25, 2017, Tricia Hughes gathered a group of about 25 individuals who she thought might be able to help make her Vision for Maddie’s a reality. The group included a doctor, several nurses, a lawyer, social workers, foster parents and others with some knowledge of the need to help a special population of infants in our region. Following that meeting, a core group began to meet regularly.
- In August 2017, the Washington State Legislature unanimously passed the Pediatric Transitional Care Facility Act. This new law gave the State Department of Health the responsibility for creating a regulatory structure and licensing authority for a new type of residential treatment program, in a non-hospital setting, for infants suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome or NAS.
- On March 9, 2018, Maddie’s Place was incorporated as a Washington non-profit corporation. Maddie’s subsequently received approval from the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Maddie’s new Board of Directors began to meet monthly in 2018.
- In October 2018, Congress passed the Opioid Bill, an $8 billion package that, among other things, included the CRIB Act. The passage of the CRIB Act was made possible by the efforts of U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rogers, who after a meeting with Maddie’s Board in September was able to get the CRIB Act in the bill that emerged from the conference committee. The CRIB Act amended Medicaid to allow for reimbursement of NAS services.
- In 2018 and 2019 the Board at Maddie’s considered its options for space. In December 2019 Maddie’s contracted with Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery for the purchase of Vanessa Behan’s 12,000 square foot facility at 1004 E. 8th Avenue in the Perry District. Vanessa Behan originally gave Maddie’s Place until June 30, 2020, to raise the $1.25 million purchase price, but due to the COVID outbreak in March 2020, the deadline was extended to December 31, 2020. During the last 6 months of 2020 Maddie’s was able to raise approximately $900,000 from the community, with almost all of that amount accomplished via Zoom meetings with local foundations and organizations. Maddie’s Place closed on the purchase of the Vanessa Behan facility on December 30, 2020. In November 2020 Maddie’s Place began to work with the State Department of Health’s Construction Review process. After 9 months of meetings with DOH, Maddie’s plans for the remodeling of its facility were approved.
- On May 17, 2021, Governor Jay Inslee signed the Capital Budget Bill passed in April by the State House and Senate. The Capital Budget included a capital appropriation of $644,000 for the remodeling of Maddie’s Place’s new facility. Representative Marcus Riccelli sponsored Maddie’s in the House. Representative Tim Ormsby and State Senator Andy Billig also played a critical role. Maddie’s project also received support from both sides of the aisle.
- Maddie’s Place hired its first Medical Director, Dr. Randi Edwards, a local pediatrician in May, 2021. In September, 2021 Maddie’s hired Bouten Construction as the general contractor for Maddie’s $1.1 million remodeling project. Construction is scheduled to be completed in February 2022. Maddie’s is on pace to receive its license to operate as a Pediatric Transitional Care Facility shortly after its remodeling project has been completed and approved by DOH.
- In September the Board hired Shaun Cross as Maddie’s founding President and CEO and Tricia Hughes as Maddie’s founding Clinical Director. Mark Patrick became the Chairman of Maddie’s Board of Directors.
- Over the past two years, Maddie’s has raised over $2 million plus additional financing from GESA Credit Union and Washington Trust Bank. We have a 12,000 square foot facility, that will be a state of the art nursery for NAS infants on completion. Many of our key staff of nurses and infant care specialists have been interviewed and lined up for when we start operations. We now have almost 200 financial supporters. We’re poised to obtain our DOH license in the Spring of 2022 and to become the 4th NAS nursery in the United States.
- Maddie’s Place has come a long way since Tricia’s story began and she called 25 member of our community to a meeting in June of 2017. We have a long way go to on our journey but we’re thankful to be at this point thanks to the efforts and generosity of hundreds of people.
- Article on Maddie’s Place – Innovia Foundation’s 2021 Annual Report