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Nurses to Deliver Lots of Diapers to Chicago Moms in Need

By David Matthews | November 19, 2015 5:28am
 Deborah Roache, a nurse at Prentice Women's Hospital in Streeterville, with all the donated diapers.
Deborah Roache, a nurse at Prentice Women's Hospital in Streeterville, with all the donated diapers.
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DNAinfo/David Matthews

STREETERVILLE — The nurses of Prentice Women's Hospital, who help deliver more babies than anyone in the state, are about to drop off a lot of diapers to new mothers in need.

Nurses working in the maternity sections of the Streeterville hospital, 250 E. Superior St., have collected nearly 2,000 donated diapers this fall. The donation drive, a localization of a broader effort by a national nursing group, ran from late September to last week.

It's an important cause to Deborah Roache, a registered nurse who organized the local drive. Disposable diapers can cost up to $1,200 a year for a new family, and diapers aren't eligible for state and federal aid such as Link cards. One out of three families nationally struggle to afford diapers, Roache said. 

"It's a nice thing to do for the holidays," she said.

Nurses and other staff contributed diapers and cash to the cause, and Prentice is a good place to start: The hospital on average hosts 12,200 deliveries a year, the most in Illinois. 

Soon, the hospital will donate the diapers to Bundle of Joy and Daughters of Destiny, two local charities assisting women who will choose the families in need. Now that the first drive is almost done, Roache said there's already talks for another.

"We'd love to do it again next year," she said. 

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