Summer Issue - Rady Children`s Hospital Foundation

Transcription

Summer Issue - Rady Children`s Hospital Foundation
Summer Issue
2008
Rady Children’s Magazine is published twice a year for the friends of Rady Children’s Hospital-San
Diego. Its goals are to provide information on past and upcoming events of interest, to update readers
on significant news, programs and research, and to show how community support and involvement are
making a difference in the lives of the children and families in our care. We value your comments and
suggestions — 858/966-5965.
Chair, Board of Trustees
John G. Davies, Esq.
President & Chief Executive Officer
Kathleen A. Sellick.
Chief, Medical Staff
Alvin H. Faierman, M.D.
Rady Children’s Magazine is published
by the Creative Services Department at
Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego,
3020 Children’s Way, San Diego, CA
92123-4282
Editorial Board:
David B. Gillig, FAHP
Senior Vice President
Foundation Executive Director
Sybilla Green Dorros
Editor
Sybilla Green Dorros
Judy Minich
Lisa Petrillo
Writers
Carlos Delgado
Ben Metcalf
Contributors
Susan Bailey
Creative Services Team Leader
Rady Children’s Hospital
and Health Center
Board of Trustees 2008 and
Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego
Board of Directors 2008
John G. Davies, Esq. (Chair)
Kurt Benirschke, M.D.
David Brenner, M.D.
Penny A. Dokmo
Alvin H. Faierman, M.D.
Marye Anne Fox, Ph.D.
John M. Gilchrist, Jr.
William H. Gurtner
David F. Hale
Lucy L. Killea, Ph.D.
Gail R. Knight, M.D.
Catherine J. Mackey, Ph.D.
Harry M. Rady
Theodore D. Roth
James F. Vargas
Scott N. Wolfe, Esq.
Ex-Officio
Gabriel G. Haddad, M.D.
Herbert C. Kimmons, M.D.
Leonard M. Kornreich, M.D.
Anthony E. Magit, M.D.
Margareta E. Norton
Marjorie Peck, R.N., Ph.D.
Cathy C. Polk
Kathleen A. Sellick
Mike Carnevale
Designer
David Hebble
Bob Ross
Dave Siccardi (p. 30 bottom)
Photographers
Page 6
Rady Children’s Hospital
Foundation
Board of Trustees 2008
James F. Vargas, Chair
Trish L. Alessio
Marla B. Black
Betsy Boaz
Barbara J. Brown
Edgar D. Canada, M.D.
Daniel T. Carter, C.P.A.
Richard Chen
Mary A. Crowley
Darlyn Davenport
John G. Davies, Esq.
Alison Gildred
David B. Gillig, FAHP
Mark A. Grant
William R. Hamlin
Carlee Harmonson
Ronald D. Harper, Sr.
Nancy G. Henderson, Esq.
Paul J. Hering
Doug Holmes
Richard M. Libenson
Scott J. Mubarak, M.D.
Craig C. Nichols
James E. Olson, CLU, ChFC
Michael P. Peckham
Matthew A. Peterson, Esq.
Cathy C. Polk
Norma Rascon de Yates
Sally L. Manchester Ricchiuti
William B. Sailer, Esq.
Daniel J. Schreiber
Kathleen A. Sellick
Phyllis Snyder
Christian F. Tresse
Stacey Valencia
James W. Weipert
Lisa Wilcox-Cassidy
Jill N. Young
Anne Zouvas
Rady Children’s Hospital
Foundation Honorary Trustees
Pages 8-13
Page 14-17
Page 20
Jean E. Hahn Hardy
Paul D. Harter
Joyce F. Klein
Joan Waitt
Visit our website at: www.rchsd.org
On the cover: Named after the first fern that grows out of a Hawaiian volcano, 6-month-old
Kupuohi Mallory is monitored in the Ernest Hahn Critical Care Center. For more about Kupuohi
and the other patients treated in the Center on April 7, 2008, see pages 8-13.
Page 25
A Message from the CEO
A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
A
s you drive along I-805, you can see our new Patient Care
Pavilion rising to the sky. It’s a visible sign that Rady
Children’s is reaching new heights in pediatric excellence.
And there’s so much more.
The outward signs of our growth are matched by equally dramatic
changes in the very structure of our organization. Through our
strategic planning process, we are working to ensure that we are
truly meeting the needs of our community. We must be able to
change and adapt. We must make sure to care for every child who
needs us.
Here’s our goal: To take Rady Children’s from the great hospital we
are today to a world-class institution — one of the top children’s
hospitals in the United States.
You’ll discover that we do so much more than treat children when
they’re sick or hurt. We are deeply committed to keeping them well
and to serve as a child health resource for our community (pages 3132). Families can count on us for all their pediatric healthcare needs.
And you’ll find a construction update on the new Pavilion (pages
14-17), as well as a chance to meet leaders in our community,
stepping forward with gifts that form the foundation of this crucial
new project.
We are seeking to go from great to world-class. Why? Because
children right here at home will benefit. This is your children’s
hospital. It needs to be the best it can be.
Kathleen A. Sellick
This issue of Rady Children’s Magazine highlights the many ways
we’re breaking new ground to fulfill that vision.
You’ll spend an amazing day in the Ernest Hahn Critical Care
Center, one that is consistently ranked in the top three in the nation
for pediatric survival rates (pages 8-13). These are stories that will
stay in your heart long after you close the cover of this magazine.
You’ll learn how Rady Children’s seeks to lead the way —
nationally and internationally — through our Programs of
Distinction (page 2) and our dedication to research and teaching. We
have so many reasons to be proud. For instance, a recent issue of
U.S. News & World Report ranks Rady Children’s Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit (NICU) among the top neonatal care programs
in the country.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Medical Excellence & Research
&
Medical Excellence Research
Our Five Programs of Distinction
We are committed to taking Rady Children’s from great to world-class. It is part of our vision: “We will be a leader, recognized nationally
and internationally, for excellence in patient care, education, research and advocacy.” More than that, it is a covenant Rady Children’s has
with the community: to provide the highest possible quality of care for San Diego’s children.
All of our programs are vital and important, but we have selected five to focus on initially: Orthopedics, Dermatology, Autism, the Heart
Institute (Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery) and Hematology/Oncology. The selection of these five programs was made over a
period of months with a committee of hospital management and medical leaders.
Within these programs, we are working simultaneously in three areas: expertise in patient care, research and education. These three
components will allow us to enhance our Programs of Distinction. And through collaboration with local and national organizations, we’ll be
able to expand our role at the forefront of what is possible in pediatric healthcare.
In this issue of Rady Children’s Magazine, we would like to introduce you to just one of these five programs: our Heart Institute. In future
issues of the magazine, we’ll feature the other programs.
2 Rady Children’s Magazine
Medical Excellence & Research
Rady Children’s Heart Institute
T
he Heart Institute has the second busiest pediatric cardiology department in the
state of California (see box). Our program provides comprehensive cardiac
services and specialized care for infants, children and adolescents, as well as some
adult patients with a history of congenital heart disease.
New Heart Transplant Program Coming to Rady Children’s
To elevate Rady Children’s from a great to a world-class
hospital, says the hospital’s senior cardiac surgeon Dr. John
Lamberti, we need a heart transplant program.
“Adding a transplant program to our nearly
comprehensive services would enhance all of the
existing programs. And raise the bar in terms of
complexities of disease process here,” says Dr.
Lamberti, the Eugene and Joyce Klein Director of
the Heart Institute at Rady Children’s.
Although Rady Children’s Heart Institute provides
comprehensive treatment, it does not yet have a
certified pediatric heart transplant program. However,
it already has successful kidney and liver transplant
programs, proving staff expertise with these most
delicate surgeries.
“Can we do it? Yes. Not only can we do it, we should do it for
our patients,” says Dr. John Moore, Director, Division of
Cardiology at Rady Children’s, who is also a professor at both
UCSD and UCLA and serves on the pediatric advisory committee of
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The numbers show Rady Children’s can support a transplant
program. San Diego’s population is expected to increase by 43
percent by 2030; the hospital could also serve neighboring regions.
What excites Dr. Lamberti is the prospect of being able to give the
children with heart failure access to the newest technology and
medical devices, available only through a transplant center —
technology that can repair and even reverse some illnesses.
A Rady Children’s transplant program would have far-reaching
benefits into the future, says Dr. Moore, by offering another layer of
sophistication to medical training and research, attracting even more
of the best and the brightest candidates.
“I look forward to being able to tell trainees we have a transplant
program and they’re going to be trained on transplantation. That’s a
significant piece of what’s supposed to be their education,” says
Dr. Moore.
Heart Institute
Stats at a Glance
(fiscal year 2007):
• 8,278 outpatient visits
• 249 open-heart surgeries
• 119 closed-heart surgeries
• 196 other cardiovascular surgical
procedures
• 410 cardiac catheterizations
• 6,686 cardiac echocardiograms
• 8,267 electrocardiograms
(continued on next page)
Rady Children’s Magazine 3
Medical Excellence & Research
(continued from previous page)
The challenge is that because of the sensitive nature of the ultimate transplant, the human heart, programs are tightly controlled and
therefore expensive to launch. Start-up infrastructure and program costs will run as high as $1.7 million each year for the next three to four
years.
“What we’d like to do is start the program without having to divert the money from other programs,” says Dr. Lamberti. He’s hoping the
Pediatric Heart Transplant Center could operate standing squarely on its feet from the start, something that can only happen with the help of
private donations.
The program would feature Dr. Jolene Kriett, Section Chief, Division of Cardiovascular Surgery at Rady Children’s, and Professor of
Surgery at UCSD, and Dr. Stuart Jamieson, Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery at UCSD, both certified transplant specialists. Also involved
would be Dr. Juan “Chuck” Alejos, UCLA’s Director of Pediatric Heart and Heart-Lung Transplantation, collaborating with Dr. Brian Jaski,
Medical Director, Advanced Heart Failure and Clinical Cardiology Program at Sharp Memorial Hospital, and also a certified transplant
specialist.
What having a transplant program will do for the region, the doctors say, is ease the huge burden on patients and their families who often
face one of modern medicine’s most dramatic surgeries. At present, those seeking transplants have to uproot and relocate miles away, for
months at a time.
Heart Institute Recruits New Heart Surgeon
A
new heart surgeon has joined the Rady Children’s team. Dr. Peter Pastuszko comes to Rady Children’s from University of Oklahoma
medical school, where he served as chief of thoracic and cardiac surgery.
Rady Children’s team spent 18 months searching nationally for a new surgeon who is both a sterling clinician and strong in research. Dr.
Pastuszko brings these attributes to the program; he will also be part of the prospective heart-transplant program (see above).
Dr. Pastuszko, a Warsaw-born physician, moved to Philadelphia at age 14 and earned both his undergraduate and medical degrees from
University of Pennsylvania. He trained in both general and cardiothoracic surgery at Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
There he met and married Anna Pastuszko, now an anesthesiologist. They have a 22-month old daughter, Maya. He served in a fellowship
in general cardiac surgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia before joining the Oklahoma faculty in 2004.
Dr. Pastuszko specializes in heart, pulmonary and esophageal surgery. His published work includes
a technique that simplifies complex repairs when operating on neonatal patients with small
aortas.
One grateful family who gave Dr. Pastuszko top marks in a popular Internet doctorrating site wrote of their experience: “He has a quiet confidence that works wonders
with parents. He is an amazing surgeon, and he can fix a mother’s heart as well as
her son’s.”
4 Rady Children’s Magazine
Medical Excellence & Research
Heart Institute Research
T
wenty-two research studies are underway at Rady Children’s
Heart Institute and its partner, the University of CaliforniaSan Diego.
The bulk of the studies are testing drugs for efficacy on children, a
crucial analysis since most drugs are developed for adults and
simply used on children at lower doses. That’s not always best, says
Terri McLees-Palinkas, the Heart Institute Research Coordinator.
“Children should be a greater priority in research in this country.
What we need are clinical trials on drugs developed for what works
the best on children.”
life-threatening condition that weakens the connective tissue
supporting the body’s organs and framework. UCSD researcher Dr.
Paul Grossfeld is helping lead the study of a new drug developed for
adults with high blood pressure. It is now being tested for use for
children with enlarged aortic root. Says McLees-Palinkas, “This
could end up being a very big breakthrough.”
The Heart Institute integrates and coordinates research and
education programs of cardiology and cardiovascular surgery
divisions. It has nine studies on interventional devices. Among its
drug studies is one on Plavax for patients with shunts, to break up
any blood clots.
A grant from the National Institutes of Health is enabling Rady
Children’s institute to join with top-tier research hospitals like Johns
Hopkins and Boston Children’s to addresses marfan syndrome, a
More about Excellence in New Physician Annual Report
C
omplete with study details in 36 different departments, the Rady
Children’s/USCD Physicians Annual Report is a comprehensive
guide to the profoundly important work happening here in clinical
care, education and pediatric research.
For your copy, please contact Jodi Bengel at 858/966-8536.
To find out how you can support this important work and help shape a
brighter tomorrow for kids, please call Rady Children’s Hospital
Foundation at 858-966-5950.
Rady Children’s Magazine 5
Medical Excellence & Research
The First Lena Sefton Clark Fellow: Vineeta T. Swaroop, M.D.
L
ena Sefton Clark, one of the earliest
fundraisers for Rady Children’s
through the Charity Ball, passed away in
1964, just shy of her 84th birthday. In her
honor, her family established the Lena
Sefton Clark Endowed Fellowship in
Pediatric Orthopedics in 2007. This special
endowment provides a perpetual source of
funding to support education, training and
research in Orthopedics at Rady
Children’s.
Vineeta T. Swaroop, M.D., is the first Lena
Sefton Clark Fellow. Dr. Swaroop
graduated from Duke University and
Georgetown University School of
Medicine. She completed her residency at
Northwestern University Feinberg School
of Medicine before coming to Rady
Children’s.
“What I like most about my fellowship is
that I have the opportunity to be involved
Members of Lena Sefton Clark’s family — Mary Clark (left) and Lenita van der Werff, Mrs. Clark’s
in many different aspects of patient care,
daughter (right) — flank the first Lena Sefton Clark Fellow, Dr. Vineeta T. Swaroop. The family received
education and research,” says Dr. Swaroop.
a child’s chair in recognition of the family’s gift honoring the memory of Lena Sefton Clark.
As a Pediatric Orthopedic and Scoliosis
Fellow, she works with Rady Children’s seven staff surgeons, each of whom has unique expertise. She works with them in their clinics and
in the operating room.
Dr. Swaroop is also involved in research, reviewing the outcomes of treatment of dislocated hips in newborns. She presented her findings at
the annual Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in May of this year.
Rady Children’s Internationally Hailed for Quality
W
ith the publication of a new book, Organizing for Quality, Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego is
recognized as an international leader and innovator in clinical quality improvement.
This book describes the “improvement journeys of leading hospitals in Europe and the United States.” It
illustrates how Dr. Paul Kurtin, Director of the recently named Blair L. Sadler Center for Quality, has
advanced the science of clinical quality improvement through the development of an evidence-based,
data-driven approach to quality improvement, best demonstrated in the hospital’s clinical pathways.
Of the seven hospitals profiled in the book, only four are in the United States and only one is a
children’s hospital. Rady Children’s is described in the first chapter entitled, “The art, the science, and
the sociology of improvement: San Diego Children’s Hospital.”
“We have much to be proud of,” says Dr. Kurtin, “and much more to accomplish as we strive to
improve the quality and safety of care and services we provide at Rady Children’s.”
6 Rady Children’s Magazine
Medical Excellence & Research
Eczema Center One Year Old and Growing
S
o successful is America’s only center focused on the world’s most
common childhood skin disorder — eczema — that within months
Rady Children’s doctors who created and run the center outgrew their
first office.
The Eczema Center at Rady Children’s celebrated its first anniversary
in April by adding a second suite on Frost Street. Center Director Dr.
Lawrence Eichenfield, Chief of Pediatric and Adolescent Dermatology,
has even bigger plans, including putting the program on the Web
complete with podcast videos. He wants to reach more children
suffering from what experts estimate afflicts up to 20 percent of the
juvenile population worldwide.
Energized by both the possibilities and the progress so far, Dr.
Eichenfield says, “There’s no question that our medical intervention has
had life-altering effects.”
While eczema is not contagious, children who suffer from the disorder
suffer doubly from the medical condition and from the social isolation
and discrimination that too often come with it. Stress often increases
the pain and physical ravages of the skin, locking children into an
agonizing cycle. That’s why Dr. Eichenfield, who is also professor of
pediatrics and medicine at UCSD, is so thrilled to see how well the
Center’s novel approach of treating the “whole child” works.
The Center addresses the
emotional and educational side
of treatment for patients and
their families by offering free
weekend and after-hours public
programs, what they call Eczema
School. There, families and
caregivers learn more about the
disease and self-treatment
methods, like how they can ease
suffering by wet wrapping skin a
certain way.
Rady Childrenís Pediatric
and Adolescent
Dermatology Division
conducted more than 30
clinical studies during
the past 18 months. New
therapeutic agents and
strategies of care have
been studied for a broad
set of skin conditions
and diseases, including
the first clinical trials of
topical breakthrough
drugs for the treatment
of eczema.
Dr. Eichenfield is working to
expand current research by the
hospital and UCSD to dig even
deeper into the still-mysterious
causes and elusive cures for
atopic dermatitis. And he hopes
to bring in experts to the Eczema
Center clinic to address related
health problems often connected
to atopic dermatitis, such as
asthma and hay fever.
Dr. Lawrence Eichenfield, Director of both the Division of Pediatric and Adolescent
Dermatology and the Eczema Center at Rady Children’s, has been treating patient
Seth Casiple, pictured at age 8, since he was four months old. Seth is one of the
nearly 20 percent of children diagnosed with eczema.
Rady Children’s Magazine 7
Cover Story
E
ach year, 1,200 children come through the
24-bed Critical Care Unit and 30-bed
Intermediate Unit, named in recognition of the
generous philanthropy of the late Ernest Hahn
and his widow, Jean Hahn Hardy. Patients spent
16,203 days in these two units last year,
accounting for 25 percent of the hospital’s total
patient days. The average stay is 11 days.
8 Rady Children’s Magazine
April 7, 2008
A Day in the Ernest Hahn Critical Care Center
6:30 am
Behind a locked security door on the third floor of the Rose
Pavilion, in a part of the hospital where life often hangs right on
the edge, it’s eerily quiet. Most of the patients are still sleeping.
Dr. Brad Peterson, Director of the Ernest Hahn Critical Care
Center, reviews the charts of the patients, some of them so tiny
they’re no bigger than the wrinkles in their blankets as they
sleep.
“It’s a ‘getting better day,’” says Dr. Peterson, who started at
Rady Children’s in 1972 (see box on page 11), before many of
the nurses he confers with were even born. He knows its
rhythms in his bones. On this day, he and Dr. Sandeep Khanna,
the two attending physicians, will care for 30 patients. Four
arrived via helicopter and two will be admitted through the Sam
S. and Rose Stein Emergency Care Center. One patient has been
here for more than four months.
7:00 am
The tempo picks up as the fresh crew of day nurses arrives and
huddles with the departing night nurses. The departing nurses fill
them in on every minute detail of the children over whom they
have perched, hovered, soothed, cleaned, bandaged and
monitored, as only nurses can. Given the acuity of the critical
care patients, there’s a nearly one-to-one ratio of nurses to
patients, sometimes even higher.
Cardiac rounds begin, led by Dr. John Lamberti, the Eugene and
Joyce Klein Director of the Heart Institute at Rady Children’s.
The group gathers, discusses and debates outside the floor-toceiling sliding glass doors of each of the cardiac patients,
predominantly in Pod A. There are three pods, each clustered
around its own nursing station designed with picket-fencing
styling to look less like a scary hospital and more like the
comforting front porch of a home.
7:30 am
The newest arrival, one of the two admitted through the Emergency
Care Center, is wheeled into Room 344. It’s a young boy with a
dangerously high fever and who was having difficulty breathing.
Over in Room 329, the father who spent the night in one of the
special convertible fold-out easy chairs returns to sit beside his
daughter’s bedrails. He will remain there steadfast past sundown,
holding her hand as if he, like the tubes attached to her arm, could
Cardiac rounds transmit healing medicine.
Rady Children’s Magazine 9
A Day in the Ernest Hahn Critical Care Center
8:45 am
Dr. Hal Meltzer leads the neurosurgery rounds, another
traveling group of specialists. They linger at Rooms 339
and 340, where 10-year-old Nathan Seals and 12-year-old
Kyle Donahue lay recovering from injuries sustained only
hours apart in the same motocross race at East County’s
Barona Oaks Raceway.
“Can you put your arms out like Superman?” asks
neurology resident Dr. Ben Newman of a wary-looking
Nathan. He can, stretching his arms up and out as if he
wanted to fly away. It’s a “getting better day” for Nathan;
by lunchtime he’ll “graduate” from the Unit. His friend
Kyle will have to stay a while longer.
Nathan Seals finds it hard to smile, but his father, Jim, is
hoping he’ll be well enough for a trip to Disneyland soon.
Nathan suffered a head injury in a motocross race two days
earlier, but has recovered well enough to “graduate” to a
lower acuity bed.
9:20 am
Pagers go off for Dr. Peterson and critical care fellow Dr.
Craig Swanson (see page 12). For the first time — but by
no means the last — the team races downstairs to the Sam
S. and Rose Stein Trauma Care Center. As they wait for
the helicopter to land, they try to stay relaxed as they
contemplate what lies ahead.
The paramedics wheel in 9-year-old Jeremy, a diabetic boy who fell and was unresponsive. His father, ex-Marine Jeffrey Imley, talks about
what a sweetheart his son is. It will be a “getting better day” for Jeremy, too.
9:55 am
Because of the unexpected time spent in Trauma, the Critical Care team is late for its scheduled 9:30 a.m. X-ray consultation with Dr. John
Hauschildt, Director of Radiology. The group sits huddled in a darkened room, looking intently at X-rays on a large screen and discussing
each case, one by one.
Back in Critical Care, Nurse Alyssa Seymour spends time with 6-month-old Kupuohi, named after the first fern that grows out of a
Hawaiian volcano. Among his many medical problems, Kupuohi has recently had stomach surgery and is fed through a gastrointestinal tube.
Alyssa talks to him, sings to him and keeps him company until his parents, busy tending to his energetic 2-year-old brother, can get to visit
Kupuohi later in the day (see page 12).
10:10 am
Pagers sound again for Drs. Peterson and Swanson. The team reassembles in the Trauma Care Center for a 10-year-old skateboarder with a
head injury. His condition worries the team because not only is he a chemotherapy patient, but he injured the exact spot where he has a
metal plate from a similar accident. Once the team stabilizes the boy, he’ll go to Critical Care.
10 Rady Children’s Magazine
A Day in the Ernest Hahn Critical Care Center
12:25 pm
Nurse Brigida Martinez checks and re-checks that everything is
in order Room 326 for the arrival of a 7-year-old boy who has
just undergone cardiac surgery performed by Dr. Lamberti.
Before long, there’s a large group — doctors, fellows, nurses,
anesthesiologists, technicians — standing around the
anesthetized child. The Cardiac team gives details of the surgery.
The case involved narrowing of the aorta. During the next hour,
it’s important to keep the patient’s blood pressure down with
medication to prevent rupture of the sutures while, at the same
time, reviving him from surgical anesthesia.
2:00 pm
Dr. Brad Peterson
Critical Care Center Director
and Inspiring Leader
Bradley (Brad) Peterson, M.D., is an
indefatigable warrior for kids. He has one goal,
and it has remained constant for the three decades
he’s been at Rady Children’s. “I want to provide the best care for
kids who are life-threatened by illness or injury,” he says simply.
Dr. Peterson’s role is multifaceted: He is Director of the Ernest
Hahn Critical Care Center at Rady Children’s, associate director of
the Sam S. and Rose Stein Trauma Care Center, co-director of
Rady Children’s Hospital Emergency Transport, and a member of
Rady Children’s senior staff in pediatrics and anesthesia. He also
trains six to eight fellows each year.
In Room 332, Anna Kimura loves the afternoon when she can
finally hold her baby, Rolf. It’s a daunting exercise because of
all the wires and tubes attached to this 9-month-old who has
been hospitalized most of his life. “The hardest thing is to want
to hold him, but I’m afraid of hurting him,” says Anna.
Dr. Peterson is the face of Rady Children’s Critical Care Center. He
has worked tirelessly to improve quality of care and, as a result,
“his” Center has consistently been ranked among the top three in
the nation for pediatric survival rates, based on the national
Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) program.
Pictured below, Rolf falls asleep in his mother’s arms as no less
than 12 machines — attached to the baby like a high-tech
octopus — continue humming and beeping and measuring every
life sign.
Dr. Peterson has inspired and mentored countless nurses, residents
and fellows. Charge Nurse Wendy Ryan, for example, came to
Rady Children’s 27 years ago expressly to work with Dr. Peterson.
3:00 pm
Pagers summon the team to the Sam S. and Rose Stein Emergency Care Center. As they examine a 2-month-old baby boy having difficulty
breathing, they suspect an undiagnosed heart defect. Dr. Peterson and the team confer, barely above a whisper, but the urgency is clear. The
infant is transferred to recently vacated Room 345. The baby boy is surrounded by at least a dozen people, including Critical Care
specialists (known as intensivists), a pharmacist and two members of Rady Children’s Hospital Emergency Transport (CHET) team. The
group works non-stop for two hours to stabilize the baby, as cardiac specialists and machines move in and out of the room. It’s as if the
sheer willpower of all those experts assembled is working together to pull this baby back from the brink. And, miraculously, they do.
Rady Children’s Magazine 11
A Day in the Ernest Hahn Critical Care Center
5:05 pm
There’s a brief lull — very brief. Dr. Peterson sits at
a computer looking at X-rays. He’s been on his feet
for 11 hours already. He’s started and abandoned a
half-dozen cups of coffee. Within an hour, pagers call
the team back to Trauma for the third time this day.
Dr. Craig Swanson
Manchester Family Fellow in
Critical Care
The training of tomorrow’s
pediatricians is at the heart of what Rady Children’s
does and will continue to do in the future. Thanks to a
generous gift from Papa Doug and Betsy Manchester in
2005, one fellow in the Critical Care Center is being
supported every year for five years. This year’s
Manchester Family Fellow in Critical Care is Craig
Swanson, M.D.
Dr. Swanson studied at UCSD and Stanford University
and did both his internship and residency at UCSD. At
Rady Children’s, he spearheaded a new Healthcare
Quality Improvement Curriculum that trains residents
in the science of Quality Improvement (QI). Dr.
Swanson is also involved in research; his current
research involves evaluating the use of a serum
biomarker panel to diagnose and manage pediatric
brain injury.
As one of the fellows on duty this day, Dr. Swanson
was almost always at Dr. Peterson’s side – watching
and conferring and treating. As the father of young
children, Dr. Swanson exuded empathy for the families
in the Critical Care Center. He remained unruffled and
his energy never seems to flag, despite the multiple
emergencies of the day.
12 Rady Children’s Magazine
Piilani Mallory sings to her 6-month-old son, Kupuohi (pictured on the cover),
while his father, Roman, looks on. Kupuohi’s favorite song is “He’s Got the
Whole World in His Hands.”
6:10 pm
Two little girls, ages 4 and 6, are brought in from a car accident. Their car was
hit by another one traveling at high speed. The girls are crying. It’s a good
sound: they’re conscious and whimpering for their mother, not screaming in
pain. The Critical Care Unit is full. If they need intensive care, they’ll be
transferred to overflow beds in the IMU.
A Day in the Ernest Hahn Critical Care Center
6:30 pm
Most of the Critical Care team is still in Trauma. In the Unit, unflappable Charge Nurse Wendy Ryan works at a computer, juggling the
schedule of the next shift of nurses due at 7:00 pm. They will huddle with the tired day nurses about every little observation of their
patients, and the cycle begins again.
For the majority of the patients in Critical Care, this has indeed been a “getting better” day. However, as in any intensive care unit,
sometimes what constitutes getting better is merely a respite, not a fairy-tale ending. Today, two children will likely receive hospice
referrals. There is a baby whose parents, after
discussing options with medical experts, prefer
waiting for a miracle over seeking a heart
transplant. There was a teenage girl, a survivor
of a terrible car crash, who, shortly after
supper, learned that her mother was not as
lucky. A social worker and a Child Life
Specialist were with her and her aunt when she
was given the news.
This day in the Critical Care Center offers a
just a glimpse of what goes on there every day
— day in and day out, 365 days a year.
It’s a glimpse of extraordinary expertise,
dedication, caring, teamwork and, occasionally,
sheer willpower to persevere in saving lives —
and lifetimes.
It’s a glimpse into the lives of families who are
forever changed by their days or weeks or
months in the Unit — and their dreams for their
children’s future.
It’s a glimpse into a place that families pray
they will never see and yet who sleep better at
night knowing that the Critical Care Center is
there — and ready — should they ever need it.
One-year-old Ricardo (Ricky) Calderon-Rivera, pictured with his mother, Ivette, has been in the
PICU for 6 days, after being admitted with vomiting and dehydration following a seizure. He was
so sick that a priest baptized him at Scripps Hospital before he was transferred to Rady
Children’s, but his mother hopes he’s on the road to recovery.
Above all, it’s a glimpse into one day in an amazing world of hope and healing.
Editor’s Note: Given the acuity of critical care patients, the condition of the patients recorded in this story may have changed dramatically
— for better or for worse — since April 7, 2008.
National Impact of Rady Children’s Critical Care Fellows
Some of the fellows trained at Rady Children’s Critical Care stay here in
San Diego, while others take their expertise in critical care across the
country and around the world. This map shows where our former PICU
fellows are now practicing.
Rady Children’s Magazine 13
O
n December 5, 2007, we had the Groundbreaking Ceremony for our new Patient Care Pavilion, beginning an amazing new chapter in
our Hospital’s history — one that will take us to new heights in pediatric excellence.
Due to be completed in 2010, the Patient Care Pavilion will be home to new family-friendly Neonatal Intensive Care and
Hematology/Oncology Units and an amazing new Surgery Center — the Warren Family Surgical Center.
Now, seven months later, the Pavilion is starting to rise. It is made of concrete
and steel — waiting to be filled with technology and medical expertise. But it
is much more. This building represents our assurance that we can care for all
the children who need us. It ensures that we will not have to turn families
away because of lack of space. It helps us keep our covenant with the
community.
Bricks and Mortar. Heart and Soul.
For many generous San Diegans, the Patient Care Pavilion also offers the
opportunity to help children in a very real
and tangible way. More than $80 million
in philanthropy is needed to give patients
and families everything they need and
deserve. As we update you on the
progress of the building, it is an honor to
thank and recognize those who have
helped us so far.
February 12, 2008. The basement and foundation is dug
and steel for the building has been delivered.
14 Rady Children’s Magazine
December 5, 2007. The first shovels of dirt
are turned to begin the building of the
279,000-square-foot Patient Care Pavilion.
Giving
Karla Hertzog: Walking the Walk
Having walked the hospital hallways so many times herself, local businesswoman and philanthropist Karla Hertzog wanted to help other
families with ill children make their own path easier.
Through her gift of $150,000 for the new Pavilion, she is now helping make real strides in accomplishing that goal.
Her first walk at Rady Children’s was 24 years ago, when her youngest daughter, Ali, was only three weeks
old. That story had a happy ending, “But walking the halls and seeing the other patients really made me
realize how lucky we were,” says Karla.
Since those first long days and nights, she’s been back to Rady Children’s anxiously walking more hallways
than she can count with her 11 foster children.
Many people talk about giving back to their community, but Karla Hertzog clearly also walks the walk —
and our future is brighter because of the steps she takes.
Scripps Ranch resident Karla Hertzog owned and ran a staffing agency started by her father, which she sold before launching Innovative Employee
Solutions, an independent payroll and human resources agency. “I tend to go where my heart is, and my heart is with all of them, all the children
everywhere in the hospital,” says Karla.
In the new Hematology/Oncology Unit, there
will be 38 private rooms. With advanced HEPA
air filtration, we can reduce the risks of
infection for our most vulnerable
chemotherapy patients and their families.
A glimpse at what the completed
Pavilion will look like in 2010.
April 21, 2008. The building is
starting to look like... a building.
Diane and Richard Nares: Celebrating Emilio
Everything the Nares family does, they do for their son. After little Emilio — just 5-years-old —
lost his courageous battle with leukemia, his parents, Richard and Diane, dedicated themselves to
helping other families whose children suffer from cancer.
Through the Emilio Nares Foundation, the Nares family has created a lasting legacy in Emilio’s
name by giving $200,000 to name four family living spaces in the new Hematology/Oncology Unit
in the new Pavilion. These common area spaces are designed to give maximum comfort to patients
by allowing their families to stay with them throughout their care.
“These will not be in memory of Emilio, but in celebration of his life,” explains Luz Quiroga, the
Patient Services Director at the Nares Family Foundation.
The Nares family: Richard and Diane
Nares with their son, Emilio, whose fight
Diane and Richard Nares have turned their grief into a lasting tribute to the son they loved so much against the cancer that eventually took
his life also inspired a community.
and, with their loving spirit, their gift will help families through their own most challenging times.
Rady Children’s Magazine 15
Giving
Paige and Joe Bezdek: A Heart for NICU
“We know no words or actions can adequately express our gratitude to Rady Children’s and its
people for the gift it has given us,” say Paige and Joe Bezdek. And yet, they are giving back in a
meaningful way with a generous gift to the new Pavilion’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU),
with part of this amount designated for a named endowment.
The Bezdeks learned first-hand about the NICU in early 2005 when their just-born daughter was
rushed there. After successful open-heart surgery to repair congenital defects on 4-day-old Elizabeth
“Libby” Bezdek, the family was back home in only two weeks.
Libby Bezdek — here at Disneyland —
knows that the happiest place on earth is
really right here at home.
“Today, thanks to the heroic efforts of the nurses, doctors and surgeons of Rady Children’s, Libby is
a healthy and energetic 3-year-old,” say the Bezdeks. It is in honor of Libby that they made their
donation.
Today, Libby’s heart beats strongly and surely, and her family has shown they have a heart for all
families who need the life-saving services of the NICU.
May 15, 2008
When the new Patient Care Pavilion opens in 2010, our
tiniest patients — the babies in our NICU — will be
treated in soothing private rooms outfitted with all the
latest equipment they need to thrive.
Rest Haven: A History of Care
One of San Diego’s oldest pediatric healthcare organizations is now helping Rady
Children’s with its new pavilion.
Rest Haven Children’s Health Fund has donated $200,000 to name the waiting
and play area in the new Pavilion’s NICU. Although this grant is new, Rest Haven
has a proud tradition of support, including two recent donations to Rady
Children’s in memory of Dr. Bill Tisdale and Tom Carter.
Rest Haven board president Dr. Raymond Peterson explains that Rest Haven was
first opened around the turn of the century as Rest Haven Preventorium for
Children. After the original facility in Hillcrest was sold in 1953, the proceeds
created an endowment that funds health-related needs of children, now called the
Pat Tisdale (left) and Judy Carter, widows of the late Dr.
Rest Haven Children’s Health Fund.
William Tisdale and Tom Carter, who were both major figures
in the longevity of Rest Haven for decades. They are pictured Today, Rest Haven’s impact is as important as ever, giving comfort to families
here at the recent dedication of the Thomas and Judith
with sick babies through the warm and welcoming NICU waiting area in the new
Carter Speech and Hearing Center.
Pavilion.
16 Rady Children’s Magazine
Giving
The Epstein Family Foundation: Families Helping Families
It was her own children who inspired Julie
(Epstein) Bronstein and her family to help
countless more.
When growing up, Julie saw how philanthropy
made a real difference to others. Now, as Director
of the Epstein Family Foundation, she and her
family are supporting Rady Children’s. She and
her husband, George Bronstein, and her parents,
Phyllis and Daniel Epstein, are Children’s Circle of
Care Members (see page 19), and they were
inspired by the plans for the new Pavilion to make
a special gift.
Their gift of $100,000 is for the incredible
new gardens. These special areas will enhance
the family-centered environment and give
children — even very sick children — a place
to simply be a kid.
“Play is so fundamental,” says Julie, “The
tricycle track in the new gardens will allow
children who are battling an illness to refocus
their energy on having fun.”
The Epsteins and Bronsteins share a passion
for excellence in pediatric healthcare — and
true compassion for all families in
their community.
AT A
FACTS GLANCE
The new Patient Care Pavilion will use:
• 2,125 tons of steel
• 11,500 yards of concrete
• 880 tons of rebar
• 280,000 square feet of metal decking
• 35,000,000 screws, bolts and fasteners
The new Patient Care Pavilion will include:
• 737 interior doors
• 507 sinks
• 162 toilets
• 8 elevators
Honoring their family by giving to Rady
Children’s are George Bronstein and
Julie Bronstein and their children, Aaron,
Rebecca and Jacob.
TODAY
As of June 2008, the foundation and
basement walls are complete, and the
majority of the structural steel frame is
up. Metal decking shows that first and
second floors, site utilities (electric,
sewer, water, which are run underground
on the outside of the building to service
the facility) are in process.
Jim Greenbaum: Changing the World; Starting at Home
“Making money wasn’t so difficult,” says Jim Greenbaum, “This changing the world stuff is what’s hard.”
Through the James R. Greenbaum Jr. Family Foundation, Jim is making changes through his commitment
to causes across the globe.
Jim first began supporting Rady Children’s through the Rancho Santa Fe Unit of Rady Children’s
Hospital Auxiliary. His most recent $500,000 gift is designated to the Pavilion, helping ensure that
children right here will always get superior care.
Tikkun Olam, the Hebrew directive to repair the world, is his inspiration, as are his own seven children.
While impressed with Rady Children’s, Jim was also struck by how dependent it was on philanthropy.
Jim Greenbaum ran a successful
telecom, Access Long Distance, until
selling out nine years ago to devote
himself full-time to philanthropy.
While he says he would never presume to tell people how to spend their money, he says gently of the
hospital, “We need Rady Children’s,” and adds, as many families do, “God willing, I’ll never need it for
my children.”
Rady Children’s Magazine 17
Giving
Ernest Rady's 70th Birthday Party Raises $861,480
W
hen Ernest Rady celebrated his 70th birthday last fall, he marked the occasion with
a matching gift to Rady Children’s Building Fund. Donations started coming in
even before his birthday was celebrated on October 9, 2007 and continued for months
afterwards. The festivities included a concert by a quartet of the San Diego Youth
Symphony and the singing of “Happy Birthday” by a group of former Rady Children’s
patients. With Ernest Rady’s generous match, $861,480 was raised for our new Patient
Care Pavilion.
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Create Your Legacy Today
L
egacy: it’s an ideal so powerful that the practice has endured since ancient times. At Rady Children’s, the ideal of creating a legacy
continues to carry that same enduring potency. Those inside our Legacy Circle have the power to give life.
By giving to Rady Children’s through a will, trust or other form of planned gift, individuals can join the honored ranks of our Legacy
Circle. They know that their gifts will provide vital life-saving programs for countless children for years to come.
Planned Giving — creating your legacy by making a gift in your will or estate plan — is critically important to the mission of Rady
Children’s. For our donors, it offers tax advantages and even additional income in some cases, all while providing for the children who will
need Rady Children’s in the future. That is their legacy.
Meet Elise Webster, Our New Director of Planned Giving
E
lise Webster was recently named our new Director of Planned Giving. She joined Rady Children’s Hospital
Foundation from the University of Colorado Foundation. She returned to her native California with a love of the
outdoors and an economics degree.
She calls herself lucky to be able to match her financial expertise with her passion for helping people. “It’s a wonderful
feeling to help our donors create a lasting legacy — something they can really feel good about,” says Elise.
To learn more about Rady Children’s Legacy Circle or Planned Giving, call Elise Webster at 858-966-7537.
18 Rady Children’s Magazine
Giving
Now We Are 239!
C
hildren’s Circle of Care is a special group of philanthropists from the United States and Canada that was developed to recognize and
convene pediatric healthcare’s most generous donors. Last year, 239 San Diegans who gave $10,000 or more to Rady Children’s were
recognized as members of this prestigious group.
North American Leadership Conference: Denver, Colorado, June 19, 2008
A
s we go to press, the 2008 North American Leadership Conference and Gala in Denver is being hosted by Honorary Co-Chairs
legendary golfer, Jack Nicklaus, and his wife, Barbara. Highlights of this event include presentations on innovative pediatric clinical
care, exclusive performances by Ace Young and Judy Collins, and tours of the greater Denver area.
Honorary Chairs
This world-class event is an annual benefit of Children’s Circle of Care Membership and has a rich history of wonderful leadership
and philanthropy.
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Washington, D.C., 1995
Bill and Melinda Gates
Seattle, 2001
Jamie Lee Curtis
San Diego, 2005
Prime Minister Jean Chretien
Toronto, 1997
C. Everett Koop, M.D.
Philadelphia, 2002
Oprah Winfrey
Chicago, 2006
Anne Murdoch
Los Angeles, 1998
H.R.H. Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Vancouver, 2003
Sir Elton John
Boston, 2007
Teresa Heinz
Chicago, 1999
President George W. Bush and
Mrs. Laura Bush
Washington, D.C., 2004
Jack and Barbara Nicklaus
Denver, 2008
James Taylor
Boston, 2000
Ace Young
Judy Collins
Jack and Barbara Nicklaus
Save the Date: Seattle, Washington, Thursday, May 7, 2009
P
lease consider joining this very special group of philanthropists. Individuals, closely held companies and family foundations who
donate or pledge $10,000 or more before December 31, 2008 qualify as 2008 Children’s Circle of Care members and are eligible for
wonderful benefits including an invitation to the North American Leadership Conference on May 7, 2009 in Seattle. Estate gifts may also
qualify, so please alert us to any irrevocable planned gift you have in place with a value of $10,000 or more.
To learn more about becoming a member, please call Katie Ward at 858-966-8510.
Rady Children’s Magazine 19
Giving
Giving Helps Keep Their Daughter’s Spirit Alive
I
t was a lazy summer afternoon splashing around the
pool when suddenly a dragonfly alighted on her
son’s raft. Sarita “Jeannie” Zouvas will never forget
how hundreds of dragonflies came to call that day,
gently, graciously sharing their delicate beauty.
Immediately she thought of Isabella, her firstborn lost
to cancer a precious few years earlier in 2001, just 4
years old. She took it as a sign that Isabella’s spirit is
being kept alive by the work the family is doing in
helping kids with cancer.
Through Isabella’s Gift Fund, Jeannie and her
husband, Matthew, help provide chemotherapy for
uninsured children and support the Celebration of
Champions. They also made a generous gift to the new
Patient Care Pavilion; a room will be named in their
honor. The community has especially responded to the
Pajama Fund which through Isabella’s Gift has
provided more than 1,000 pairs of fresh PJs to help
hospitalized children feel more comfortable. For
Jeannie remembers so many times bringing Isabella
for a doctor’s visit and ending up staying for hours,
even days.
“Cozy, that was important,” she recalls. “I would
wheel her into the hospital in her wagon and I had a
comforter in there and her crayons and I would ask
her, ‘Are you cozy, mia bella luna?’ And she was.”
A friend created her fund-raising website
(Isabellasgift.org) to work like an animated storybook
complete with the tale of the wondrous dragonflies
visiting the home of Peter and Anne Zouvas, a Rady
Children’s Hospital Foundation trustee and Isabella’s
grandmother.
As visitors page the storybook a poignant song plays
in the background by local singer-songwriter Kelly
Hoyer:
I can’t define how much it hurts/to be alive
without her smile/Saving Isabella/
I can’t deny all of the joy she’s left behind
The Zouvas family, Matthew and Sarita “Jeannie” Zouvas with Demetri and Mia give back
in special ways to help families undergoing the journey through cancer. Their fund and
work is to keep alive the spirit of 4-year-old Isabella.
20 Rady Children’s Magazine
This song was inspired, like so many great things, by
the raven-haired little beauty who loved to paint
butterflies alive with color.
Giving
Local Business and Community Groups Are Making a Difference
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) technology provides doctors with amazing views
inside the human body. It is also very expensive; a single MRI machine can cost as
much as $3.5 million.
Generous Gift Funds
MRI Technology
Recognizing the importance of this vital technology, the Ledcor Foundation, the
charitable organization of Ledcor Construction Inc., has generously pledged to match
50 percent of the project cost, up to $1.2 million, toward the purchase of a cardiac
capable MRI at Rady Children's. The remaining 50 percent of the project cost will be
matched by new contributions or capital funding by Rady Children's.
"Part of Ledcor's corporate culture is to provide support to the various communities in
which we operate," said Jimmy Byrd, president of Ledcor Construction Inc., whose
U.S. head office is located in San Diego. "We have a vested interest in the health and
well-being of children within our community, and are proud to be able to advance
their level of medical care and treatment through this new MRI technology at Rady
Children's."
In addition to aiding in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of medical conditions,
the MRI equipment will allow doctors to focus on vital cardiac care and treatment.
"Ledcor's gift is a profound investment in the future. It will help our doctors save
lives," said Kathleen Sellick, President and CEO of Rady Childrenís. "By focusing on
vital heart-related treatment, we can offer the promise of a bright future for our kids."
Stan Humphries’ Celebrity Classic Golf Tournament Turns 10
W
ho could forget the upstart outfielder with clubs trouncing some of the world’s
greatest athletes?
This is one of the scrapbook highlights from the San Diego Celebrity Classic golf
tournament hosted by Stan Humphries, now celebrating its 10th year. It draws big names,
sponsors and crowds each April to Rancho Santa Fe’s Morgan Run course, all for Rady
Children’s Hospital-San Diego.
Humphries returns from his native Louisiana to host because, he said, “Everything we
have to this day is because of San Diego. I want to just keep giving back any way I can.”
San Diegans recognize Humphries as the only quarterback to lead the Chargers to a
Super Bowl. More than 100,000 hailed the team’s return home from the big game in
1997, even without a victory.
But his life really changed months before his memorable season began, when his
daughter, Brooke, underwent complex heart surgery at Texas Children’s just days after
her 6th birthday. She’s now a beautiful 17-year-old, but Stan and his wife, Connie, never
forgot their children’s hospital experience and helped support Rady Children’s when they
came to San Diego.
Stan Humphries with Ashley and Tyler Fox during a
visit to Rady Children’s in April.
Their philanthropy has made a profound difference. Not only have they provided a
specially equipped van for the home-care program and funding for the chaplaincy
program, they helped transform the orthopedic wing into a colorful football-themed zone
complete with gridiron-style carpet. Chargers’ owner Alex Spanos was also inspired by
Brooke’s story, donating $100,000 for the transformation in 1998 and recently paid to
refurbish the area.
Rady Children’s Magazine 21
Giving
Seventh Annual Radiothon Is a Hit
T
alk about putting a song in your heart. When Clear Channel San Diego radio stations team up with the Kiwanis of San Diego and
Imperial counties and the Foresters, you see how companies can join with service groups to help the patients and families at Rady
Children’s.
Food and beverages were contributed by Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, Oggi’s Pizza, Vitamin Water, Chipotle, Pick Up Stix and Chili’s
Restaurant-Rancho Del Rey.
The three-day event, held March 5-7, gave Clear Channel listeners a chance to learn about all the services offered by Rady Children’s, how
much we depend on our community for support, and the impact your gifts have on the children in our care. This year’s event raised more
than $418,000. And that’s music to our ears!
?
Second Annual Walk Up Ahead Save the Date: October 4, 2008
I
t’s no fluke: You can have a
great time and help kids, one
step at a time! The 2008 Shamu
& You Family Walk is coming
soon, and you can register or
start forming your teams. Why,
it’s a walk in the park!
Shamu wants you!
It’s fun and easy to get involved. The Shamu & You Family walk gives
you the option of a scenic 1-mile walk through SeaWorld or a 4-mile
route that adds some beautiful bay mileage.
You can register to walk on your own, join a team or form a team of
your own. It’s just $25 for adults and $15 for kids (and you get a tshirt and goodie bag, plus a post-race party) OR you can earn fabulous
prizes for asking your friends and family to sponsor your walk.
You never know who you’ll encounter during the Shamu & You
Family Walk! Here, our 2007 walkers get some leggy companions —
just one of the many fun surprises along the route.
Best of all, money raised goes directly to helping the patients and
families at Rady Children’s.
To register (it’s never too early to start your team) or for more
information, visit www.ShamuAndYouFamilyWalk.kintera.org or call
Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation at 858-966-5988.
22 Rady Children’s Magazine
Giving
Celebrating Miracles at Miracolo Carnivale!
E
very year, Rady Children’s honors corporations and organizations that have each
raised $15,000 or more annually. These groups raised funds by selling “miracle
balloons” and organizing or sponsoring community charity events — just like the ones
featured here in Rady Children’s Magazine.
This year’s Gala, held May 31, transported guests to Venice for “miracolos,” miracles
Italian-style!
Event chairs Lisa and David Fisher; Patti and Doug Holmes; Dennie and Mike Maslak;
and Susan and Mark McKenna helped create the Venetian fantasy at the Manchester
Grand Hyatt, complete with stilt walkers, fabulous feasting and spirited dancing until
midnight.
But the real miracle happens when proceeds from these dedicated companies and
community groups go to support programs and services at Rady Children’s, ensuring
that every child gets excellence in care.
The 2008 Gala was truly a Venetian
fantasy, complete with stilt walkers and
fabulous entertainment.
The 2008 Gala Co-Chairs (from left to right) David
and Lisa Fisher; Mark and Susan McKenna; Patti
and Doug Holmes; and Dennie and Mike Maslak.
Rady Children’s recognizes and thanks some of our major corporate donors.
®
Rady Children’s Magazine 23
Giving
An “Unforgettable” Charity Ball
T
he 99th Anniversary Charity Ball, “Unforgettable,” looked both to the past
and to the future. It followed in the grand tradition of the previous Balls,
and the program evoked a bygone era with a nostalgic sketch drawn from a
photograph of Chairman Phyllis Snyder’s grandparents. It looked to the future
— to next year’s Centennial Celebration (see below) and the young lives
altered and saved through surgery at Rady Children’s.
As is the tradition, the evening had three distinct parts: a pre-reception in the
Carousel Room, dinner in the Crown and Coronet Rooms, and entertainment in
the Grand Ballroom. The décor for these rooms was created around the
Sarbonne lilies flowing from the sketch on the program cover. The
entertainment included songs by 12-year-old Francis Florendo and dance music
by the popular band The Heroes.
Our thanks go to Chairman Phyllis Snyder, Co-Chairman Clarice Perkins and
all the members of the committee who made the 99th Anniversary Charity Ball
such an “unforgettable” event. The evening raised more than $400,000, with a
$100,000 matching gift from Evelyn and Ernest Rady, to benefit Rady
Children’s Surgical Services. As the guests enjoyed the evening’s festivities,
they knew it was for a good cause — they were making a difference in the
lives of more than 19,000 patients who undergo surgery at Rady Children’s
each year.
(From left) John G. Davies, Esq., chair, Rady Children’s
Hospital-San Diego Board of Trustees; Kathleen A. Sellick,
Rady Children’s President and CEO; Phyllis Snyder, 2008
Charity Ball chairman; and James F. Vargas, chair, Rady
Children’s Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees.
Charity Ball Turning 100 A Centenial Celebration
C
harity Ball is the grande dame of fundraising parties. It’s a formal, black tie dinner and dance dating back to 1909. Since 1953, the Charity
Ball has exclusively benefited Rady Children’s.
Rather than having just one chair, the 100th Anniversary Charity Ball will be hosted by the past Chairmen. They are busy preparing for what
will undoubtedly be an historic centennial celebration.
Save the Date: 100th Anniversary Charity Ball, Valentine’s Day, Saturday, February 14, 2009
Past Chairmen gather to make plans for the Charity Ball’s Centennial Celebration. Back row from left: Mary Clark, Marilen Sedlock, Dulie Ahlering, Liz
Copley, Fran Golden, Marilyn Sawyer, Karon Luce, Barbara Brown, Barbara McColl, Windie Knoth, Carol Chang, Mari Hamlin Fink, Joy Frye, Liz Jessop,
Pat Carter, Gerry Wheeler and Alison Gildred Front row from left: Linda Katz, Kim Miller, Kay North, Janie Fetter, Karen Miller Clotfelter, Betty Hubbard
and Sandy Walrod.
24 Rady Children’s Magazine
Volunteerism
The Thomas F. Carter Leadership Award
Phyllis and Dave Snyder
Extraordinary Volunteer Leaders at Rady Children’s
Editor’s Note: In the 2007 Annual Report Edition of Rady Children’s Magazine, we announced that Phyllis and Dave Snyder had received
the Thomas F. Carter Leadership Award for their extraordinary volunteer leadership at Rady Children’s. We promised that we would tell you
more about Phyllis and Dave in this issue of the magazine.
P
hyllis’ involvement at Rady Children’s began in 1976 — 32 years ago — when she became a volunteer in the Neonatal Intensive Care
Unit. She joined the Bonita Unit of Rady Children’s Auxiliary and served on various boards and committees of both the Bonita Unit and
the Auxiliary at large. She was President of the Auxiliary in 1984-1985. She served as Charity Ball program editor, as co-chair in 1992 and
as Chair in 2007 (see previous page). Phyllis now serves on the Foundation Board and is a Children’s Circle of Care Committee member.
She has been a tireless advocate for the hospital and her hard work and dedication are widely recognized.
Dave is an attorney and a partner at the law firm of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, where he specializes in corporate finances. Dave
served on the Foundation Board of Trustees in the 1980s and 1990s and was the Chair of the Foundation Board in 1991. He also served on
the Hospital and Health Center Board. Dave was a co-chair of the
campaign to build the Rose Pavilion and helped recruit Miracle Makers
for our annual telethons. He has been a valuable leader, bringing his
expertise in finance to help the hospital in mapping out its
strategic vision.
Phyllis and Dave have been individual donors to the hospital since the
1980s and are longtime members of Children’s Circle of Care. In 2000,
they created the Phyllis and Dave Snyder Endowment for Research and
Teaching. They have also contributed to the hospital through the
Children’s Leadership Match Campaign, the Union-Tribune Kids’
NewsDay, the Charity Ball and our annual Miracle Makers Gala. They
truly exemplify the extraordinary volunteer leadership and philanthropy
that are at the heart of the Thomas F. Carter Leadership Award.
Phyllis Snyder, 99th Charity Ball Chairman, and her husband,
David, dancing the first waltz, Blue Danube. See story on
previous page.
Ernest Rady congratulates Phyllis and Dave Snyder as they
received the 2008 Thomas F. Carter Leadership Award.
Rady Children’s Magazine 25
Volunteerism
Rady Children’s Volunteers Going the Extra Mile
I
s there any way to truly thank the hundreds of people who give the gift of their time to Rady Children’s?
Hospital officials spent a week trying. In early May, they walked the halls offering milk and cookies to
volunteers, as a small token of their immense gratitude. And they took hundreds of them on a “Stroll
Through Provence,” as this year’s annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon was themed.
The hospital’s thanks have grown more substantial as its volunteer ranks have swelled to more than 400
people aged 14 to 90 years old. They collectively gave 37,468 hours, which, figured at $18.77 per hour, was
the equivalent of 18 full-time, fully
benefitted employees. Worth a whopping
$703,000 in time donated collectively to the
hospital. More importantly is what
volunteers provide, as President and CEO
Kathleen Sellick told the crowd gathered at
the Doubletree Hotel Mission Valley, “It’s
that added extra special thing that truly
makes a difference in their healing.”
Among those recognized were two veterans
who have surpassed the 10,000 hour mark of
volunteer work, a milestone that few
volunteers ever reach: Carmen Ratner, who
works as a translator for Care Team 4
(Orthopedics), and Tom Desaulniers, a 21year volunteer who takes time out from his
other volunteer activities, like serving as a
Little League umpire, to help out at the
visitors’ desk in the lobby of the Rose
Pavilion. They both received standing
ovations.
Junior volunteers honored included Sarah
Shearer for her work with autistic children and Eric Rubenacker in Hematology/Oncology; and for their arts
program in the Emergency Care Center waiting room, Karen Collica, Michelle Chen, Sasha Ducey and Kia
Gaither. Also lauded: Mallory Highhouse, Starlight Activity Room; Greta Glavis, Day Surgery; Terry
Powell, Children’s Convalescent Hospital; and both Erin Yeates and Joshua Luskin, Medical Surgical.
Also honored was the National Charity League’s San Diego-Del Norte Chapter, a group of mother-daughter
volunteers who have been spending time with the Children’s Convalescent Hospital children for six years,
since the daughters were in the 7th grade. On top of the time they spend with the children, many of them
long-time residents, the girls rehabilitated the worn-out patio at the center turning it from an eyesore to a
haven.
This year’s top honor, the President’s Award, went to Jane Peterson, who started by helping out “just this
once” with Children’s Miracle Network Telethon and hasn’t left after more than 20 years in a variety of
volunteer posts, including doing the less exciting clerical work like grading employee health quizzes. “She
is part of our family,” said David Gillig, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the Foundation, in
leading the ovation for Jane.
26 Rady Children’s Magazine
Volunteer Jane Peterson
(center), winner of the
President’s Award, is
congratulated by Kathleen
Sellick, Rady Children’s
President and CEO, and David
Gillig, Senior Vice President
and Executive Director of the
Foundation.
Volunteerism
New Center Offers Welcome Help for Down Syndrome Patients
A
new Center for children with Down syndrome is drawing high marks from families, the medical community and the media for
providing the only comprehensive health care clinic of its kind in Southern California.
Dr. Lynne Bird, a geneticist and specialty care physician, manages the Center with the help of private funding raised by DS Action, a locally
based advocacy and support group for families with children who have Down syndrome.
“The fact that a group of parents helped set up this center
speaks to the need for such a resource in the community,” said
Dr. Bird.
The Pediatric Down Syndrome Center, opened in January,
provides access to medical care for children with Down
syndrome, the most common genetic cause of cognitive
and developmental disabilities. Some 50 to 60 babies
are born with it per year in the county; nationally the
rate is 1 in 800. Since patients are so spread out,
many pediatricians don’t have experience treating
them.
At Rady Children’s, the experts gather in a onestop health-care shop to handle virtually every
issue related to Down syndrome, including
mild-to-moderate mental retardation,
hypertension and hearing and vision
problems. Veteran nurse Debbie ChildsAlston helps provide a continuum of care,
including helping families access dental
checkups, genetic counseling and speech
therapy.
Parents love the support they’re
getting from meeting each other at
the Center, and seeing what is
possible for their kids with the
right care.
Rady Children’s Magazine 27
News
New Urgent Care Center Open in East County
I
f you’re a parent, you know that if your child becomes
ill or is injured, it’s bound to happen at night or on the
weekend or a holiday. What do you do when your child’s
doctor’s office is closed? The answer may be right in your
own neighborhood.
In March, a new Urgent Care Center opened in East
County at 5565 Grossmont Center Drive (Building 2,
Suite 2) in La Mesa. The Center, located near Sharp
Grossmont Hospital, will be open weekdays 4 to 10 p.m.,
weekends 1 to 10 p.m., and most major holidays 3 to 10
p.m. Please call (619) 713-5375 for more information.
This Center will provide easier access for families in East
County, bringing quality pediatric urgent care to their
neighborhood. The new Center will also help reduce the
large volume of patients coming to the Sam S. and Rose
Stein Emergency Care Center at Rady Children’s. Last
year, there were 79,620 emergency and urgent care visits
— 57,000 on campus and nearly 23,000 visits to off-site
urgent care facilities. Rady Children’s other Urgent Care
Centers are in North County (Escondido) and Mid-City.
Urgent Care vs. Emergency Care vs. Primary Care
What urgent care is...
An Urgent Care Center provides treatment of injuries and illnesses that are not life or limb threatening, but need immediate attention. It’s a
good option at night and on weekends when your child’s primary care provider may not be in the office.
What urgent care is NOT...
Urgent Care is NOT for serious problems, such as head trauma, seizures or breathing difficulties. Go immediately to an Emergency Room or
call 911 for an ambulance. An Urgent Care Center should not be used in place of your child’s primary care provider.
More Hospital Beds for Rady Children’s
R
ady Children’s has 248 licensed beds, but there are times, especially during the
winter flu season, when the hospital has to scramble to find enough beds to
accommodate kids who need to be hospitalized. Now Rady Children’s is adding 11
beds by partnering with Sharp Grossmont Hospital.
The partnership between Rady Children’s and Sharp Grossmont draws on the strengths
of the two hospitals. The 11-bed pediatric unit at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, to be
managed and staffed by Rady Children’s, will expand the health care options for East
County (see above).
28 Rady Children’s Magazine
News
A New Ronald McDonald House Under Construction
I
t may be hard to distinguish whose dust is whose, but perhaps the most unusual construction site in town is underway only 100 feet from
where the forthcoming new Patient Care Pavilion is rising from the dirt. That’s where the new Ronald McDonald House is now being
constructed atop the Rady Children’s new parking garage.
The $20 million structure, slated to open in 2009, will be four times larger than the original house. The latter has provided shelter and solace
for more than 10,000 families with seriously ill children since opening in 1980. Like Rady Children’s new pavilion, the new Ronald
McDonald House is being built to the highest ecologically “green” standards to maximize energy efficiency and minimize unhealthful
materials. The expanded 47-bedroom facility can’t come too soon for Bill Lennartz, president of Ronald McDonald House Charities. So huge
has the demand grown for their programs, he says, they struggle to find alternate accommodations for more than 100 families a month for
lack of space.
At 60,000 square feet, the new Ronald McDonald House will feature larger guest rooms for families to use as their home away from home
while they tend to their children undergoing major medical treatment nearby. For little or no cost, families can use the expanded laundry
rooms, computer labs, kitchens, game
rooms, a hair salon, a library, classrooms
and arts studio. The unique design atop
the parking garage will maximize
otherwise wasted space into an enclosed
courtyard-style facility, with the building
surrounding outdoor living spaces,
complete with basketball courts,
playgrounds, sandboxes, gardens and even
an amphitheater.
A green heart: The new and expanded $20 million Ronald
McDonald House will offer a haven for families needed to
stay close to tend to their seriously ill children. Plans call
for expansive green space, playgrounds and gardens in
the facility’s interior courtyard.
Welcome to the neighborhood: For nearly 20 years Rady Children’s and Ronald McDonald
House have been neighborly, now as both institutions have major expansions underway
simultaneously, soon the two will be the closest of neighbors, only 100 feet apart.
The Ronald McDonald House is a not-for-profit organization that operates independently of Rady
Children’s. For more information, call 858-467-4750 or visit their website at http://www.rmhcsd.org
Rady Children’s Magazine 29
News
Introducing Our New Chief of Staff: Alvin H. Faierman, M.D.
D
r. Alvin H. Faierman, former Chairman of Rady Children’s Department of Anesthesia, is the
hospital’s new Chief of Staff for 2008-2009.
Dr. Faierman graduated from Yale College and Stanford University School of Medicine and received
specialty training in Pediatric Anesthesia and Intensive Care at Children’s Hospital in Boston. He has
worked at Rady Children’s since 1986 as a member of Anesthesia Service Medical Group.
Most of Dr. Faierman’s time is spent in the Operating Rooms, providing anesthesia for surgeries ranging
from ear tubes to complex neurosurgeries. “I really enjoy the variety of my work at Rady Children’s,”
says Dr. Faierman, who also directs the scheduling for the hospital’s busy surgical suites.
In his free time, Dr. Faierman — a Canadian by birth and a Californian in spirit — enjoys traveling and
photography.
Chadwick Center for Children and Families
22nd Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment
F
or the last 22 years, the Chadwick Center has hosted an Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family
Maltreatment. This year, more than 2,000 professionals from 42 countries and from diverse fields took part in the conference.
Participants learned from more than 200 internationally recognized speakers, including several Chadwick Center professionals who
shared the latest research and best practices. There was also a five-day Child Fatality Investigations Workshop.
“The San Diego Conference left me inspired and full of renewed energy. The quality of presentation was excellent and the
organization impeccable,” said Basil Hanna, Chief Executive, Parkerville Children’s Institution, West Australia. “Staff from Australia
will visit every year because, if there is one conference worth attending, it is this one.”
The Chadwick Center for Children and Families at Rady Children’s is a world leader in the prevention, detection and treatment of
child abuse and neglect. Its staff is led by Executive Director Charles Wilson, MSW, who holds the Sam and Rose Stein Chair in Child
Protection. The Center is one of the largest specialized mental health programs of its kind in the nation.
Chadwick Center Staff
30 Rady Children’s Magazine
Advocacy
A Child Health Resource for Our Community
Rady Children’s does so much more than help kids who are sick or hurt; we are
committed to keeping kids healthy and safe.
T
hrough innovative research and a commitment to
excellence in care, Rady Children’s is dedicated to helping
children through every illness and injury. With more than
57,000 visits to the Sam S. and Rose Stein Emergency Care
Center, 207,600 outpatient clinic visits and 13,700 patients
admitted each year, we are working to keep our covenant to
care for our community’s children.
Help is just a click away...
But that’s only one part of the story. There is equal dedication
to keeping children from ever needing our services.
“We want to keep our children healthy and safe,” says Cheri
Fidler, Director of Rady Children’s Center for Healthier
Communities for Children (CHCC). “We work to prevent
injuries, promote family health and give children their very
best chance for a safe and healthy future.”
In fact, you may be surprised the depth and breath of Rady
Children’s child health advocacy involvement. Here are just a
few examples:
Safe Kids and the Injury Free Coalition for Kids: Rady
Childrenís is the lead agency in San Diego for Safe Kids
Worldwide and for the National Injury Free Coalition,
community coalitions with representatives from local agencies
and individuals united in their efforts to make San Diego
County a safer place for children.
Safe Routes to School: CHCC has been a leader in
addressing child pedestrian safety by bringing together
schools, traffic engineers, city planners, police, parents and
community to observe and assess problem areas, develop plans
for improvement, implement environmental changes, and
provide school and community based education.
Safety Store: Rady Childrenís Safety Store offers products for
childproofing your home, emergency preparedness, injury-free
sports and child passenger safety. For Safety Stores hours, as
well as dates and locations where you can get your car seat
inspected go to our website at www.rchsd.org. Click Calendar
of Events > Community Safety Events Calendar. The Safety
Store also has new Water Watcher Tags to help homeowners
make sure no child drowns in their pool (see Water Safety
box, next page).
(continued on next page)
W
hen you have a question about your child’s health,
it’s good to know that Rady Children’s has the
answers. Medical and health tips are just a click away at
www.RCHSD.org. From the home page:
Click on Care & Services for information about all our
pediatric specialties, including links to specific information
about what to look for at home or when to call a doctor.
Click on Medical/Health Tips for Safety Information,
Community Resources and Health Topics in both English
and Spanish
Click on Medical/Health Tips > KidsHealth for special sites
for parents, kids and teens. Kids will love the interactive
activities; teens get straight answers to their concerns, and
parents excellent information good for the whole family.
Click on Safety Information > Tips for Preventing Injuries
for fact sheets, in English in Spanish, on lots of safety
topics, such as Sun and Water Safety, perfect for these hot
summer days.
You can also call 800-788-9029 for referral services to
access care.
Rady Children’s Magazine 31
Advocacy
(continued from previous page)
Our Goals to Keep Kids
Healthy and Safe
T
hroughout this issue of Rady Children’s
Magazine, you’ve seen our renewed focus on
research and technology within the walls of our
hospital. Our goals extend outward into our
community, as well. Our goals include:
Strengthening our position as the leading
resource when pediatric health concerns arise.
Helping children and youth in our community
live safer and healthier lives.
Reducing intentional and unintentional injuries.
Bringing attention and solutions to national and
local health concerns, such as childhood obesity
and oral health.
The Al Anderson Center for Dental Care provides oral health education,
screening and case management for children with disabilities and very young
children, traditionally underserved and at-risk populations. In addition, the Center
continues to provide specialty education for dentists and physicians in treating
children with special needs.
Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyle Programs: The City Heights Wellness Centerís
Teaching Kitchen is the communityís hub of nutrition education, cooking classes,
fitness programs, infant health and safety, and integrative health programs. CHCC
has also developed two new promising practices to prevent child obesity: Key
Steps educates parents of children 0-4 about key steps to prevent overweight
children. Health Coaches and Heroes addresses nutrition and physical fitness of
middle school and high school students using a teen mentoring model.
The Wellness Team works in San Diegoís Juvenile Detention facilities, providing
one-on-one and group health education to increase incarcerated minorsí
knowledge of pertinent health issues, connect them to outside health services and
insure health insurance coverage.
Partnership for Smoke Free Families is dedicated to helping pregnant women
to stop smoking, stay quit, and to prevent tobacco exposure to young children.
For more information on any of these programs – or to find out about the dozens
of other programs offered by Rady Children’s CHCC, call 858-966-XXXX or visit
our website at www.rchsd.org.
In the Swim
Access these summer
safety tips – right from our
website www.rchsd.org!
Click on Safety Information > Tips for
Preventing Injuries > Water Safety.
32 Rady Children’s Magazine
Physician Accomplishments
Little Race for Little People
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Watch the wackiest inflatable boat race at the 16th Annual Little Race for Little People benefiting the patients of Rady
Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Contact Shelley Borree at 858-966-5869.
2nd Annual SeaWorld Shamu & You Family Walk for Rady Children’s Hospital
Saturday, October 4, 2008, 8:00 a.m. — SeaWorld
The Walk, presented by SeaWorld, will begin at 8:00 a.m. at the South Shores boat ramp and will offer a 1-mile and 4-mile
course through SeaWorld and the adjacent area. All proceeds benefit Rady Children’s. (See page 21.)
Contact the Corporate and Community Development Department at 619-966-5988.
Union-Tribune Kids’ NewsDay
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The 19th annual Kids’ NewsDay, a special edition of The San Diego Union-Tribune, will be sold by volunteers on street
corners throughout San Diego. All proceeds benefit Rady Children’s
Contact the Union-Tribune Kids’ NewsDay Hotline at 619-966-4965.
Rady Children’s Hospital Auxiliary Winter Gala
Saturday, November 15, 2008, US Grant
Kicking off the holiday season, this event includes a silent auction, dinner and dancing to benefit Rady Children’s.
Contact Rady Children’s Hospital Auxiliary at 619-966-5887.
13th Annual Professionals Symposium
Thursday, November 20, 2008, 1:30-5:30p.m., Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine
Symposium for lawyers, accountants, financial planners, insurance and other professionals. Continuing education offered.
For more information, please call 858-966-5950 or email: ckoleszar@rchsd.org.
100th Charity Ball: A Centennial Celebration
Saturday, February 14, 2009, Hotel del Coronado
Hosted by its former Chairmen, San Diego’s longest-running and most prestigious philanthropic event is celebrating its 100th
Anniversary on Valentine’s Day. (See page 24.)
Contact Dawn Ivy at 858-966-8514.
Children’s Magazine 33
Saturday, October 4, 2008
To register, visit www.ShamuAndYouFamilyWalk.kintera.org or call 858-966-5988
(see page 21).
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