Each year, more than 200,000 sick and injured children from St. Louis and around the nation receive treatment at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. “We are known for exceptional care and for providing a warm and loving environment,” says Sandy Koller, executive director of the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation, which raises funds to support the doctors, nurses and trained specialists at the hospital.
One of the foundation’s annual fundraising efforts, led by volunteers with the Glennon Guild, is a discount shopping card. Now in its fifth year, the $50 Glennon Card entitles cardholders to a 20 percent discount at 325 participating stores, salons and restaurants. Thanks to the generosity of presenting sponsor Drury Hotels and participating vendors, Koller says all proceeds from the card go directly to supporting Cardinal Glennon’s state-of-the-art facilities, treatment centers and programs.
At the end of the year, the foundation determines how to use the funds from the Glennon Card. “The hospital has some very immediate needs and, depending on the amount we raise, we help by funding a particular program, project or equipment,” Koller says. Since its inception in 2011, the program has raised nearly $600,000. Last year, a portion of the proceeds were used to provide advanced, minimally invasive scopes for children undergoing ear, nose and throat procedures, general or orthopedic surgeries, urological interventions and pulmonary procedures. “At Cardinal Glennon, we treat every child, regardless of the financial circumstances of their family, and with these scopes we’re able to contribute to many areas of the hospital that impact the lives of so many kids.”
In addition to state-of-the-art scopes, the Glennon Card has benefited the following projects over the years:
The hospital’s transport helicopter, which operates under the name ‘Cardinal Glennon Air,’ ensures quick delivery of critically ill or injured children to the hospital. The team, composed of nurses and respiratory therapists trained in emergency transportation who are available 24-7, also travels with patients by ambulance and airplane. Recently, the transport team formed a collaboration with the Marion County ambulance district to provide around-the-clock transport services for critically ill newborns and pediatric patients in northeast Missouri and west central Illinois. Glennon Card has funded equipment, such as isolettes for infants, that keep children safe during transport.
ECMO Equipment
Short for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, ECMO oxygenates and removes carbon dioxide from the blood. Glennon Card helps provide this lifesaving heart and lung equipment to patients whose cardiac and/or respiratory function is compromised. The machine gives the body time to rest and recover with less ongoing damage. “Having the most up-to-date equipment is very important to Cardinal Glennon,” Koller says. “Not every children’s hospital has ECMO. We are able to treat the sickest children here because we have that equipment.” She notes doctors at Cardinal Glennon were the first west of the Mississippi River to use the equipment, in 1984.
Lobby and Atrium
Cardinal Glennon believes visiting a hospital shouldn’t be scary, Koller says. It is continually updating its atrium, lobby and waiting areas to make them as non-threatening, peaceful and fun as possible. Glennon Card dollars have helped finance a 28-foot interactive submarine (a bus and steamboat are coming soon), plus toys and games, to entertain patients and their siblings. The money also is used to make sure the furniture in these areas is comfortable. “Patients and their siblings and parents can be here for hours or days,” Koller says. “We want to create an atmosphere that is welcoming and playful so they can relax when dealing with a difficult time.”
Pictured: Cardinal Glennon Lobby
Photos courtesy of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital