Regular visits to the doctor are a necessary part of childhood to ensure all children can grow up happy and healthy. However, not all families have medical insurance or the other resources necessary to make that possible. The Danis Pediatric Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital provides outpatient pediatric care to children, regardless of their families’ ability to pay. To help ensure it never has to turn away a child, the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation raises funds for the center through Glennon Gallop, its annual polo match and party.
The funds raised by Glennon Gallop help The Danis Pediatric Center provide important resources to patients and their families. More than 75% of patients live below the poverty line. To ensure that families can overcome barriers to health care, its CARES (Connection & Resource Equity Services) program connects them with appropriate resources while care coordinators offer personalized support. “The program was created by our physicians as an evidenced-based research project,” clinic manager Hallie Liskow says. “They developed a survey centered on the social determinants of health. Based on families’ answers, we connect them with resources like food, housing, childcare, employment, transportation and basic necessities. That support continues outside of the clinic through follow-up phone calls and emails.”
Along with the CARES initiative, the clinic provides care to children in the foster care system through its Fostering Healthy Children program, and FACES International Health Clinic supports immigrant and refugee children. “The Danis Pediatric Center is not your average primary care office,” Liskow notes. “We provide resources and additional support you won’t find with most other providers.” The center was originally designed to receive 5,000 patients annually. Now, its two locations are visited more than 21,000 times each year. To meet the rising demand for services, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon opened a new location in Tower Grove, replacing its Midtown clinic in 2023.
To support the The Danis Pediatric Center, St. Louisans can head fieldside to August Busch Polo Club in Defiance on Sept. 21 for Glennon Gallop. Along with watching an exciting polo match, participants can choose from two experiences. VIP guests gain access to a climate-controlled tent where they can enjoy fine wine, a luncheon and auction, and Field-Side Party guests can choose to tailgate or watch from the bleachers. Both VIP and Field-Side options include a divot stomp and champagne toast on the field. “The level of outreach The Danis Pediatric Center provides would not be possible without events like Glennon Gallop,” Liskow says.
In the past, funds from the event have provided new equipment for the center and gone toward purchasing meals and other resources for patients. This year, Liskow notes The Danis Pediatric Center needs support expanding services at its Tower Grove location. “Half the clinic is not constructed,” she explains. “The money raised by Glennon Gallop will help us create an additional 15 patient rooms, allowing The Danis Pediatric Center to see thousands more patients annually. It’s an amazing opportunity to support children and their families and ensure they receive the care they need to thrive.”
Glennon Gallop, Sept. 21 at August Busch Polo Club in Defiance, supports the Danis Pediatric Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. For more information, visit glennon.org/gallop.
Cover courtesy of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation
Pictured at top: The Danis Pediatric Center Tower Grove Location
Photo courtesy of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation
