WEST VALLEY CITY -- Police officers in West Valley City will saddle up this weekend to help raise money for a home health-care counseling program to assist the families of children with terminal illnesses.
Organizers of the Fraternal Order of Police Benefit Horse Show hope to raise more than $20,000, the group's president and patrol officer Bill Froehlich said. The show will feature judged events in halter and Western horsemanship and racing events, including pole, keyhole and barrel racing.But the stars of the show will be seven terminally ill children -- some dependent on respirators and liquid feeding tubes -- who will have a chance to mount a trusty steed and "race" the barrels. All seven of the kids receive care through Intermountain Health Care's pediatric home health care program, which Froehlich's wife, Sharon Froehlich, runs.
Sharon Froehlich's frustrations with the lack of so-called palliative care resources for those using the pediatric home health-care system triggered the idea for the benefit horse show. Insurance companies will cover the cost of a nurse or the cost of medical equipment and medicine, but not the cost of counseling or bereavement care for family members of the ailing child, she said. Medicaid and Medicare don't provide programs or coverage either and while Salt Lake City has many fine grief counseling services, in most cases, the demand far exceeds the number of available counselors. IHC administrators also recognize the need for a program but as yet have been unable to fund it.
"I came home whining," said Sharon Froehlich, who for years was an intensive care nurse at Primary Children's Medical Center. "We had one little boy pass away and I have continued to stay in contact with the family. They're on a two-year waiting list for services."
Proceeds generated from today's horse show go the IHC Pediatric Home Health Care program and will eventually fund a staff social worker position to assist families. Bill Froehlich is hoping to see profits in the thousands of dollars. So far, however, 150 donation solicitation letters sent to Salt Lake companies have fallen flat.
"I didn't get one dime back; they all declined," he said. "I think people don't want to think about dying children. They figure, 'my kids are going to bury me.' But we trying hard to help people understand."
The horse show gets under way today at 8:30 a.m. at Codwell Farms, 11431 S. 3800 West in South Jordan. Participants age 8 and older, are encouraged to register at 7 a.m. The cost to enter is $6 per event, or $25 for all events, he said.