What Hospitals Can’t Afford, Zip With Us® Provides—At No Cost
The Reality Behind the Curtain
Children’s hospitals across the U.S. are pillars of compassion and excellence—but many are operating under increasing financial strain. With rising labor costs, staffing shortages, and ongoing reliance on under-reimbursed Medicaid coverage, even the most well-resourced institutions are being forced to make tough budget decisions.
Major hospitals across the U.S. report tens to hundreds of millions in community benefits annually, yet still face operating losses or razor-thin margins. Essentials that aren’t directly billable—like adaptive medical garments—often get left behind.
We Fill the Gap Hospitals Can’t Afford to
While hospitals cover medical treatments, they don’t have the resources to provide custom garments that support the daily realities of care—like dressing with central lines, showering during infusions, or playing safely with feeding tubes. These essential garments are critical to comfort, safety, and function, but simply aren’t in the budget.
We provide them completely free of charge.
Dressing for Dignity, Function, and Safety
Our garments—like the ZipShirt™ and Drew’s Cruiser™—meet the real-life needs of complex care. Their impact goes far beyond convenience:
-
Patients stay clothed, comfortable, and functional, with lines protected and secure.
-
Families, especially with babies and toddlers, can safely place their child down for natural development—without line entanglement or constant worry.
-
Garments can be changed without disconnecting central lines, reducing infection risk and preserving the integrity of vital access points.
-
Children on 24+ hour infusions can shower while still connected, thanks to our adapted ZipShirts™, reducing inpatient time and minimizing costly interruptions to care.
These are not luxuries—they are life-enhancing solutions that improve health outcomes and reduce medical risks.
Reducing Staff Burden, Enhancing Hospital Care
Custom garments also reduce the burden on already stretched hospital teams:
-
Streamlined dressing routines and easy access to ports, lines, and medical devices save valuable time and energy for nurses and bedside caregivers. This efficiency reduces the physical and emotional strain on staff, allowing them to focus more on patient care.
-
This contributes directly to lower staffing stress and helps offset skyrocketing contract labor costs.
Enhancing the Continuum of Care
Zip With Us® garments promote consistency across the full spectrum of care—from home to clinic to hospital—helping children feel confident and safe no matter where they are in their treatment journey.
And the results speak for themselves. In a recent survey of hundreds of families across more than 160 pediatric hospitals:
-
98% said their Zip With Us® garment was essential to treatment
-
98% reported their child wore it to every treatment (only missing wear when it was in the wash)
-
100% said their child remained clothed, comfortable, safe, and functional during care while wearing our adaptive garment
These results point to more than just convenience—they show a transformative impact on quality of care, family experience, and medical outcomes.
A Call to Corporate and Private Donors
We make all of this happen without charging hospitals or families.
But we can’t do it alone.
Supporting Zip With Us® means:
-
Making a direct, measurable impact on pediatric treatment experiences
-
Enhancing patient safety and family well-being
-
Reducing infection risks and preventing extended hospital stays
-
Alleviating staffing burdens in overstretched care environments
-
Aligning your philanthropy or brand with dignity, compassion, and innovation in care
Join Us
We invite corporate and private donors to partner with Zip With Us® to keep vulnerable children safe, supported, and clothed in compassion—at no cost to them, ever.
Visit www.zipwithus.org to learn more or contact us to explore custom giving opportunities.
Together, we’re closing the gaps in pediatric care— safely, functionally, and with love.
