2010 News Release Archive
Mary C. Dinauer, MD, PhD, has been named the first Fred M. Saigh Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Research at St. Louis Children's Hospital and professor of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine. In addition, Dinauer will serve as scientific director of the Children's Discovery Institute. The Institute is a partnership between St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine created in 2006 to speed discoveries in children’s medicine.
hildren are four times more likely to be hit by a car on Halloween than any other night of the year. Burns, falls and other serious injuries can make October 31st as frightening for parents as it is for their little goblins. "The single most important thing is for kids to wear costumes that can be easily seen by drivers," says Dr. Doug Carlson, emergency room physician at St. Louis Children's Hospital, "and be very careful about obeying the rules of crossing the streets."
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) continues to be the leading cause of death for infants beyond the neonatal period in the United States. Low birth weight (less than ~3 lbs 5 oz) and pre-term delivery (less than 37 weeks) are characteristics associated with SIDS, especially if these infants were more likely to sleep on their stomachs.
Today, many changes to the nation’s healthcare system go into effect that will expand and improve access to health care for children. As healthcare providers dedicated to the unique needs of children and sensitive to the impact these new guidelines will have on the quality and availability of care, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center and Ranken Jordan –A Pediatric Specialty Hospital have teamed up to help families take advantage of this next phase of the Affordable Care Act.
To celebrate reaching a major surgical milestone, St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s neurosurgery team hosted a party for its patients, families and staff during the Great Forest Park Balloon Race on Saturday, Sepember 18. To cap it off, the hospital sent one of its patients up into the Children’s Hospital balloon to ride during the balloon race!
St. Louis Children's Hospital's website received two 2010 WebAwards for "Healthcare Provider Standard of Excellence" and "Non-Profit Standard of Excellence" from the Web Marketing Association. It marks the second consecutive year that www.stlouischildrens.org won WebAwards in both categories.
Gov. Jay Nixon today discussed the implementation of a new law that will enhance the protections and care available to Missouri children who are possible victims of abuse and neglect. The law, House Bill 2270, takes effect tomorrow, along with many of the bills signed by the Governor earlier this year. This law will help children who may be the victims of abuse or neglect to receive forensic examinations without having to travel far from the area where they live.
Doctors at St. Louis Children’s Hospital say Owen Stark, a 2-year-old from Eldon, Mo., is alive today because of an artificial lung. St. Louis Children’s Hospital is the first hospital in the country to use the device, called a Novalung®sLA, as an artificial lung. Owen is the youngest person in the world to receive one.
St. Louis Magazine published its annual “Best Doctors” list for the metropolitan area in its August issue. Among the 1,091 listed, 88 St. Louis Children’s Hospital full-time physicians and 58 community pediatricians/subspecialists were included. The list is generated by Best Doctors, Inc., a 21-year-old company founded by doctors affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital-Washington University has again been named among the nation’s elite pediatric hospitals on the Honor Roll of U.S.News & World Report’s 2010 listing of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals. St. Louis Children’s Hospital is one of only eight pediatric hospitals that made the Honor Roll by ranking in all 10 specialties evaluated. It is the only hospital in Missouri and the surrounding eight-state region to receive Honor Roll status.
A combination of medical expertise, technology and geography will converge as St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine launch in April a new “Fetal Care Center” for the care and management of high-risk mothers and births. Expanding upon the comprehensive maternity center atBarnes-Jewish Hospital, the geographically adjacent neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and medical and surgical services fromWashington University, the Fetal Care Center targets the nearly 10,000 babies born annually in Missouri and the surrounding eight states who have serious medical conditions requiring specialized care.
Missouri lawmakers, child protection and pediatric health experts emphasized the need for trained forensic examiners to provide training, support, mentoring and peer review for those providers evaluating potential victims of child sexual abuse. The SAFE CARE (HB 2270) bill is an important measure for children suspected of being sexually abused.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital honored six emergency medical service (EMS) crew members from the Affton Fire Protection District for their role in resuscitating a teenaged girl who collapsed during school. Captain Robert Evans, Lieutenant Don Woolem, Private Micah Bowles and Private Aaron Rhodes from Engine Company 1114, and Private Kristen Troup and Private Steve Rahm from Advanced Life Support Vehicle 1117 responded to the call from a local middle school last November.
How should you treat a fever? Should you call the doctor about a bug bite? Does your child have croup? For the first time, answers and advice are no farther than your hip pocket or purse. St. Louis Children’s Hospital now has its own iPhone app for pediatric symptoms. It’s called Kid Care. The app, which launched in January, is free and may be downloaded from Apple iTunes, or by linking from the St. Louis Children’s Hospital web site, StLouisChildrens.org. Kid Care guidelines help parents make decisions on what level of medical care is needed and how to treat their child at home when it’s safe to do so. You can select from 88 pediatric topics and search from an alphabetical list or by body area.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital was redesignated as a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program®, which recognizes excellence in nursing. The announcement was made Jan. 21. Only 2 percent of hospitals nationally have achieved Magnet® redesignation. Magnet® hospitals must continue to achieve rigorous standards to earn another four-year designation.
Kirkwood native and St. Louis Children’s Hospital Answer Line Nurse Manager Suzanne Wells, BSN, RN, has been appointed to the board of directors of the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN) for 2010-11. Wells, along with two other nursing appointees and the entire board will oversee the strategic direction and operations for the AAACN. "It is an honor, through the support of membership, to have been elected to the board of directors for the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN),” says Wells.
There are more than 10 million cancer survivors alive in the United States today at least 270,000 of whom were originally diagnosed when they were under the age of 21. Due to significant advances in cancer treatments over the past three decades, close to 80 percent of children diagnosed with cancer now live at least five years or longer. Because of these considerable strides, the management of late effects, health problems that may develop years later as a result of a survivor’s original cancer treatment, has become one of the most critical elements of a childhood cancer survivor’s long-term health care plan.
