Spring 2010 - Arkansas Children's Hospital

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PEDIATRIC CARE Ambassadors Continued from page 3 Spencer Ewing When Spencer was 3 years old, tests revealed he had a very large tumor on his brain stem, which was causing paralysis on the left side of his body. He and his family lived in Louisiana at the time and doctors informed Spencer’s parents he needed surgery and sent them to New York City to a specialist. The Ewings were told Spencer would need extensive rehab and sent them to ACH. Because the tumor was located on Spencer’s brain stem, the surgery temporarily paralyzed him from the neck down. The therapy staff at ACH worked with Spencer every day to help him regain feeling and range of motion. He was an inpatient at ACH for five months. In February 2009, Spencer was diagnosed with pneumonia and admitted to the ACH Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), where he remained for 20 days. Spencer finally overcame the pneumonia and underwent more rehab. He has been cancer-free for eight years. Spencer is very active in sports. He loves to play both baseball and flag football. Olivia, Adam and Luke Jackson Each of the Jackson children were born near Xi’an, China, and adopted by American parents. Adam and Luke, the two oldest children, were both born with cleft lip and palate, a common birth defect that affected the boys’ upper lips and the roof of their mouths. Before he moved to America, Adam underwent surgery to repair his cleft lip and palate. Since arriving in Little Rock, he has visited ACH for follow-up surgeries and medical care. Sometimes having a cleft lip and palate can cause issues with a child’s ears, so Adam has had tubes placed in his ears several times. Luke, who moved to America when he was only 15 months old, had his cleft lip repaired in China, and his palate repaired at ACH. When she was born, Olivia, the youngest of the three, was diagnosed with ptosis, an abnormally low position of the upper eyelid. She visits ACH often for checkups with the ophthalmologist and surgery may be necessary in the future. The Jackson siblings are very active. Each enjoys playing soccer and other outdoor activities. Austin Jones Austin was born with hemophilia, a rare, genetic blood disorder. After Austin was born, doctors recommended he visit ACH for further tests and treatment. After Austin was tested and the hemophilia diagnosis was confirmed, doctors worked out a treatment plan with Austin’s parents, which is still in place. When Austin begins bleeding, Austin’s mother calls the hematology nurse at ACH, who evaluates the situation and advises the family. Sometimes Austin’s bleeds are minor and can be treated in Jonesboro, the town nearest his hometown of Tuckerman. Often, the bleeds require treatment at ACH. When Austin was 4 years old, he was diagnosed with a hernia, which was repaired with surgery. Austin enjoys hunting, riding horses and working outside with his father. Do you know an ACH Ambassador? Each year, ACH Ambassador participants are chosen by a committee at ACH in the winter and begin their year of service in the spring. If you are interested in nominating your family or a family you know, please call 501-364-1476 or email achfdn@archildrens.org for more information. 10
HOSPITAL NEWS ACH team members have hosted several live chats on Facebook answering questions posted by fans in real time. ACH recently became the first pediatric hospital in the nation to provide families live, unfiltered chats on Facebook with doctors and other medical professionals. On a day-to-day basis, ACH provides updates and event listings via social media sites Facebook and Twitter. These social media platforms give the public an easy way to stay connected with the hospital and give the hospital another way to provide education and information. Social Media Extends ACH’s Reach Sometimes it’s easy to write off Facebook and Twitter simply as a fun way to catch up with high school pals or get the latest news alerts. <strong>Arkansas</strong> Children’s <strong>Hospital</strong> discovered last fall that these platforms can have greater power; they can provide the ability to connect with the community during a public health crisis. The 2009 H1N1 flu epidemic had even well informed parents unsure of where to turn for reliable information. ACH saw a great increase in inquiries about the flu around the same time it was launching its Facebook page. Just six fans signed up the first day ACH launched on Facebook. By the next week, the page had more than 6,000. Fans started posting questions and comments on the page, many of them about H1N1. In response to the interest in the topic, twice during October ACH medical staff answered questions in what is believed to be the first H1N1 live chat hosted by a pediatric hospital on Facebook. In February, to mark Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Week, ACH invited Facebook fans to a live chat with a pediatric cardiologist and a cardiothoracic surgeon. ACH plans to hold more of these types of events in the future. Today ACH boasts more than 45,000 fans on Facebook and more than 1,800 Twitter followers who keep up with the hospital’s daily updates and event listings. Fans can also view ACH videos on YouTube. PLEASE FOLLOW US: facebook.com/arkansaschildrenshospital twitter.com/archildrens youtube.com/achwebman ACH South Wing Rising Over the past ten years, the need for more beds and more emergency department space at ACH has grown at a steady and steep rate. ACH has seen growth in not only numbers of patients but also in the seriousness of illness and injury. To keep up with this growth, a new patient tower is being built to add urgently needed beds and clinic space. The South Wing expansion is now beginning to take shape as a recognizable building. Steel beams are being set in place and a huge crane is doing the heavy lifting for construction crews. The South Wing, which will add 258,000 square-feet of bed and clinic space, now has the skeleton of two of its four stories. The building will open in 2012 and will house a new emergency/trauma center, new and expanded inpatient units and five new outpatient clinics as well as support spaces and a rooftop garden. 11
Page 2 and 3: CONTENTS Ambassadors Make a Differe
Page 4 and 5: PEDIATRIC CARE Michelle Leach, an A
Page 6 and 7: RESEARCH For the past few years, Al
Page 8 and 9: EDUCATION CareHub System Is Transfo
Page 12 and 13: Your Gifts Make Us Better W Thank y
Page 14 and 15: DONORS Pat Walker, chairman of the
Page 16 and 17: DONORS Because they were impressed
Page 18 and 19: CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK The We
Page 20 and 21: CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK Walmar
Page 22 and 23: AUXILIARY GROUPS CIRCLE Quarterly O
Page 24: Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foun

Spring 2010 - Arkansas Children's Hospital

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