Children’s Fund
Many of the programs and services at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital would not be possible without generous contributions to the Children’s Fund. This unrestricted support allows us to invest in new or enhanced programs, update our facilities, create child-friendly and family-centered spaces and so much more.
In the last three years, contributions to the Children’s Fund have benefited the following programs and services at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon:
Imaging Center Expansion
Donations to the Children’s Fund helped support a recent expansion of our Imaging Center, along with the purchase of all-new, top-of-the-line diagnostic equipment that offers the lowest possible dose of radiation for our young patients. This update allows imaging procedures to be done in one centralized area, making for a seamless experience for patients, families and staff.
Part of this update included the creation of an interventional radiology suite, in which our skilled team performs guided imaging to place needles or catheters that are used in certain types of treatments. In the past, children would often undergo surgical placement of these devices; therefore, these new procedures eliminate or reduce the need for sedation, resulting in quicker healing and improved effectiveness of the child’s treatment.
Another portion of this project included dedicated x-ray and ultrasound rooms for the Emergency Department (ED). These rooms are located within the physical space of the ED, eliminating the need for children to be transported to another area of the hospital when they are extremely sick or injured. This update has significantly reduced wait times for our families, improving their overall experience.
Inpatient Cancer Unit and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit
Thanks to your support, children undergoing treatment for cancer at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon receive expert, compassionate care in a welcoming, family-centered environment that promotes healing. Located in the hospital’s main tower, the fourth floor Inpatient Cancer Unit features 18 newly renovated patient treatment rooms, complete with individual bathroom and shower facilities and comfortable sleeper sofas so that parents can spend the night at their child’s bedside. In addition, the two nurses stations have been updated to allow more workstations, improving staff efficiency and patient safety. This update also includes a new Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, which houses four treatment rooms with the latest technology in a “mini-ICU” setting.
Dallas Heart Center Expansion
The Dorothy and Larry Dallas Heart Center recently underwent an expansion that included five additional exam rooms, two additional echocardiogram rooms, one additional vitals room, five additional physician reading stations and an expansion of the Stress Test Suite. These improvements allow us to care for more patients concurrently, thereby enabling us to meet the increased demand for services, while reducing wait times and improving overall efficiency and flow of the clinic.
Your generosity also supported a large-scale upgrade to our Electrophysiology Suite. This new, state-of-the-art system allows our physicians to create 3-D images of a child’s heart in real-time while it is beating, to enable them to detect heart rhythm abnormalities. The images show which pathways in the heart are misfiring and guide the physicians in a procedure to eliminate blood flow to the problem pathway. This new system produces better results in less time, thereby reducing the child’s exposure to general anesthesia and radiation.
Special Needs Tracking and Awareness System (STARS)
STARS is a community outreach program of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon that helps address the unique needs of children with complex medical issues by providing focused training to first responders and hospitals in communities in which a STARS child lives. In addition, individualized care plans are created for each child so that emergency services and hospital personnel are prepared in case of an emergency at the child’s home.
Your support helped facilitate the creation of a comprehensive database to track STARS children, giving our team and first responders the ability to quickly and easily update medical information and improve communication between emergency services, physicians and families.
Music Therapy
In addition to enhancing our ongoing programs, donations to the Children’s Fund enable us to start new programs to further benefit our patients and their families, such as the recent launch of our Music Therapy program. Our full-time board-certified Music Therapist uses evidence-based interventions to bring the joy and healing power of music to patients of all ages dealing with a variety of medical challenges, including kidney dialysis, bone marrow transplants, eating disorders, traumatic injuries and other complex issues.
Research on music therapy tells us that it reduces stress and anxiety, alleviates pain, promotes relaxation and increases self-esteem. Our therapist reports many instances in which the power of music not only helps the patient cope with his or her illness and treatment, but also helps parents connect and communicate with their child in a unique way. Many of the children she treats come away from their sessions calmer, in better spirits and filled with hope, sometimes for the first time since their journey began.
Future Goals
Your ongoing support of the Children’s Fund will enable SSM Health Cardinal Glennon to remain a leader in pediatric medicine. Plans for future utilization of donated funds includes:
- Investment in current programs to continually improve our services.
- Projects to enhance the patient and family experience.
- Addition of new programs that will help set us apart as a leader in the community.
