Emergency Infant Services (EIS) is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

based in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

, focused on meeting the basic human needs of

infants An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

and children under five years old.

History

Emergency Infant Services was founded on January 1, 1977, by Linda Watts in the balcony of the Second Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Noticing how unexpected circumstances made it temporarily impossible for families to make ends meet, she decided it was time to lend a helping hand. The goal from the beginning has always been to help prevent families from falling further into a poverty cycle by helping with their immediate needs such as formula, diapers, food, wipes, clothing, and car seats. Currently, over half of the EIS' clients use the services provided only once a year, showing the agency is indeed helping them in a time of extenuating difficult circumstances. It was not until 2012 that EIS recognized it was time to expand its services to a second location and opened a new location on the East Side of Tulsa. By 2017, it was serving 30% of the total number of children being served each year. With that success, it was decided to open a satellite location with diapers and formula with South Tulsa Community Center and a second one with the Dream Center. Combined, those two locations serve nearly 400 children each year. EIS has made it a mission to find partners in the Tulsa community to help support some of the long term services clients need in addition to the short term. The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma provides free immunizations and other health services to families. Along with the

Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBS, BCBSA) is a federation, or supraorganization, of, in 2022, 34 independent and locally operated BCBSA companies that provide health insurance in the United States to more than 106 million people. It was ...

, the Oklahoma Health Department and the Parent Child Center have also partnered with EIS to provide additional services to the community at large.

Activities

EIS is a Tulsa charity that provides emergency support for families with children aged less than six years of age and are in crises or emergency situations, including

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refer ...

or under-employment, illness or injury, spousal and/or

child abandonment Child abandonment is the practice of relinquishing interests and claims over one's offspring in an illegal way, with the intent of never resuming or reasserting guardianship. The phrase is typically used to describe the physical abandonment of a ...

, and home losses due to natural disasters such as

tornadoes A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, alth ...

, floods, or fires. Eighty-five percent of those who use EIS’ services are the

working poor The working poor are working people whose incomes fall below a given poverty line due to low-income jobs and low familial household income. These are people who spend at least 27 weeks in a year working or looking for employment, but remain und ...

: people struggling to make ends meet and occasionally needing "a hand up". To provide immediate access for needy parents, EIS does not require appointments, income qualification, or complex paperwork to be filled out. Immediate and free services are provided for diapers & pull-ups,

infant formula Infant formula, baby formula, or simply formula (American English); or baby milk, infant milk or first milk (British English), is a manufactured food designed and marketed for feeding to babies and infants under 12 months of age, usually prep ...

, children's & maternity clothing, medications, hygiene items, linens, cribs, and

child safety seat A child safety seat, sometimes called an infant safety seat, child restraint system, child seat, baby seat, car seat, or a booster seat, is a seat designed specifically to protect children from injury or death during vehicle collisions. Most c ...

s. EIS also functions as a Tulsa food pantry for baby foods and toddler foods. EIS assisted with the creation of infant crisis services in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...

, Ft. Worth, Texas, and Houston, Texas. The Tulsa location assists over 1000 infants and toddlers each month. Over 900 volunteers in Tulsa support EIS. In 2011, EIS provided food, clothing, medical assistance, furniture, car seats, and social services to over 8,235 families with 13,723 infant children.
Fundraising consists of an endowment from the

Tulsa Community Foundation The Tulsa Community Foundation (TCF) is one of the largest community foundations in the United States.

, and fundraisers including "$35,000 in 35 days". In 2016–2017, EIS served 10,075 families consisting of 18,805 children providing 690,545 diapers as well as 305,160 bottles of formula.

Awards

Oklahoma non-profit Excellence Awards

Emergency Infant Services was a 2012 finalist for the Oklahoma non-profit Excellence Awards, sponsored by the Oklahoma Center for Non-Profits, a nonprofit organization equipping and strengthening the Oklahoma nonprofit sector through training, consulting, advocacy, membership, networking, and awards.

Champion of children's health

Emergency Infant Services was a 2011 finalist for Champion of Children's Health, sponsored by the Champions of Health organization, a program that "celebrates people and organizations that are making a positive impact on the health of Oklahoma citizens through innovative programs." In 2012, Emergency Infant Services won the Champion of Children's Health award.

References

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External links

Emergency Infant Services official website
Charities based in Oklahoma Healthcare in Oklahoma Children's charities based in the United States