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 Dream House for Medically Fragile Children, Inc. is a 501(c)3 children's charity that teaches families and communities how to help kids with very complex health issues thrive in a home setting instead of being institutionalized for life. Dream House has brought to light the plight of medically fragile children, reaching significant milestones for this niche pediatric population. Before Dream House, medically fragile children had no voice, no hope and no future. Fueled by community support, Dream House has set the standard in Georgia for home care of medically fragile children which will some day have national impact. Since inception in 2001, Dream House has:
Dream House is making a difference for the future of medically fragile children based on the vision of one woman. As a pediatric nurse, unit administrator and clinical nurse educator for more than 20 years, Dream House Founder and CEO Laura O. Moore identified a critical problem. Advances in medical technology were allowing children to survive. However, these medically fragile children were being abandoned by their families and languishing in hospitals for years with no where to go. She decided to investigate why this was happening. The facts she uncovered led her on a crusade. Her goal: make it possible for medically fragile children to leave the hospital in a more timely manner, keep them out of institutional care, and in doing so, give them the home, family and future they so desperately needed to survive and thrive. A medically fragile child is defined as one who, because of an accident, illness, congenital disorder, abuse or neglect, has been left in a stable condition but dependent on life-sustaining medications, treatments, equipment, and the need for assistance with activities of daily living. These children have been diagnosed by a medical physician as medically fragile and may have healthcare conditions such as diabetes, oxygen dependency, cerebral palsy (CP), or may be a transplant recipient. They may require special healthcare support, such as tube feedings, suctioning, tracheotomy care, or a respirator. By providing appropriate training and resources to their families, caregivers and those individuals making placement recommendations on their behalf, these children can successfully transition from institution to a home environment. The Dream House unique Transition Care Model programs and services offer the support resources necessary to increase the number of families and communities prepared to care for medically fragile children. Now a statewide resource, Dream House annual budget goals exceed $1 million to fund direct care expenses for medically fragile children living in the Lilburn Transition Care Home, as well as support resources for families, educational programming, community referrals/outreach and administration. Drawing on the strength of hundreds of dedicated volunteers in the community, Dream House actively seeks ongoing, community help to increase opportunities for Georgia's 6,000+ medically fragile children to live in stable, permanent home environments. Relying solely on private donations, Dream House raises needed philanthropic support from the following development programs:
Imagine how YOU can help a lonely, hopeless child. As Laura Moore says, "Dream House does more than give a child a vacation or a fond memory. We help medically fragile children find their forever home and a family for keeps!" 
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