SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center has a reputation for being a leading provider of exceptional healthcare and patient services for children in the St. Louis area and across the nation. This is largely due to an outstanding team of doctors, nurses and trained specialists whose work is supported by the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation.
The foundation, led by newly appointed executive director Sandy Koller, builds partnerships with individuals, businesses and organizations to raise funds for state-of-the-art facilities, treatment centers and programs. Now in its fourth year, the Glennon Card, a discount shopping program, is one of its annual fundraising efforts with Glennon Guild, an organization that provides financial support and volunteer hours. St. Louisans can purchase a $50 card online or at select participating retailers, which entitles them to a 20 percent discount at more than 300 participating stores, salons and restaurants from Oct. 24 through Nov. 2.
“The program has brought great benefits to Cardinal Glennon, and each year brings a community of volunteers, shops, spas and restaurants together for the same cause: helping sick and injured children,” Koller says. “I can’t wait to see this year’s results.” All proceeds from sales of the Glennon Card go directly to the medical center, thanks to the generosity of community partners. “Fifth Third Bank, our presenting sponsor for the third year in a row, covers all marketing and printing costs, and the businesses absorb the retail discount,” explains Koller.
The foundation determines which programs benefit from the funds raised. “We identify new places of need,” Koller says. “This year, we already have committed part of the funds to improve and upgrade the Pediatric ICU, which is undergoing a major renovation.” She says the goal is to create a non-threatening, peaceful environment for patients of the PICU and their families, with interactive play areas and comfortable lounge space.
Since the program’s inception in 2011, it has raised a total of $417,000. Last year, a portion of the proceeds were used to enhance the hospital’s lobby and atrium. “Right now there is a big submarine in the atrium for kids to play in, and we want to continually add things to make it a visually stimulating environment that is welcoming for children and families,” Koller says.
The following are some of the programs that have benefited from past sales of the Glennon Card:
[transport team]
The hospital’s transport ambulance and helicopter, which operates under the name ‘Cardinal Glennon Air,’ ensure quick delivery of critically ill or injured children to the medical center. The team, which includes nurses and respiratory therapists trained in emergency transportation and available 24-7, also travels with patients by airplane or jet and assists with hospital transfers. 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.
[telemedicine]
This program allows residents of outlying areas to receive care from Cardinal Glennon’s leading staff of doctors, nurses and trained specialists. From their pediatrician’s office, patients and families interact online with doctors at Cardinal Glennon face-to-face, view X-rays and images in real time, and set up treatment plans.
[ECMO equipment]
In 1984, doctors at Cardinal Glennon used ECMO for the first time on a patient in respiratory distress, becoming the first hospital west of the Mississippi River to use the equipment. Short for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, ECMO oxygenates and removes carbon dioxide from the blood. It is used on patients whose
cardiac and/or respiratory function is compromised and gives the body time to rest and recover with less ongoing damage.
[the knights of
Proceeds from the Glennon Card helped the center expand to a new facility in 2013, right next to the main hospital. Designated a Missouri Autism Center in 2007, it serves children with autism and neurodevelopmental disorders in a therapeutic environment, providing comprehensive evaluations, care, family guidance, education and innovative research.
Pictured: Cardinal Glennon lobby
Photos Courtesy of Cardinal Glennon