A Special Place for Sick Kids to Get Well - Citrus Memorial Hospital

In the fall of 2004, Chris Pool had been
at her job less than six weeks as the new
Development Director for Citrus Memorial
Health System (formerly called Citrus
Memorial Hospital). As the Development
Director, Chris had been going around
Citrus County, introducing herself at
Chamber of Commerce lunches, Rotary
meetings, Kiwanis breakfasts and other
community meetings, and asking people
what they were looking for from their
health care facilities. Everywhere she went,
she heard a familiar refrain:
“What about the kids?”
“We need to do something for the
youngsters.”
“Let’s take care of the children.”
After all, kids get sick, too.
For hospital and healthcare professionals
throughout the county, this was not a new
concern. Although both of Citrus County’s
hospitals and the local pediatricians have
been caring for the county’s children for
decades, the lack of a dedicated pediatric
hospital unit had caused many parents to
take their children out of the county for
medical care – at a time when their children
were most vulnerable. As the county grew,
so did the number of children. A pediatric
unit was certainly needed, but in this day
of budget cuts and tightened insurance
coverage, building such a unit seemed like
a distant goal.
In a caring community like ours, though,
amazing things can happen. And it always
starts with amazing people.
Thanks to the generosity of Mike
Hampton, Atlanta Braves pitcher who
A Special Place for Sick Kids to Get Well
Article reprinted with permission of
Citrus County Life Magazine.
www.citruscountylife.com
grew up in Citrus County and is currently
a Homosassa resident, along with his wife
Kautia, and other community members, the
project was launched and within months
became fully funded through donations.
Local spinal surgeon James Ronzo, D.O.,
and his wife, Elizabeth, were among
the donors who funded the project. “As
a doctor and a parent, I felt that it was a
shame to have so many pediatric cases sent
out of the county,” he said. “We were just
happy that we could be part of this. It’s just
amazing to see something like this happen
here.”
There were several other physicians
as well as many members of the medical
profession, individuals, businesses and
others who answered the call for donations.
The dedicated pediatric unit, which was
to be dubbed Pediatric Park, would be
located within Citrus Memorial Hospital in
Inverness.
The suite opened on August 14, 2006,
only four months after Pool and Margie
Leturno, RNC, BSN, Director of the
hospital’s Women’s and Children’s
Services, had first sat down and envisioned
the project.
“We knew what we wanted – the best
equipment, specialized training of staff,
and a colorful, secure environment. We
wanted it to be apart from the rest of the
inpatient beds, yet accessible to all of the
facilities and services within the hospital,”
said Leturno. “The hospital had committed
the space so we drew up a budget to cover
everything.”
Pediatric Park is a four-bed pediatric suite,
fully outfitted with state-of-the-art pediatric
equipment. The secure, child-friendly

Kids Helping Kids. Representatives of the Citrus
Springs Middle School’s Student Council presented
a check for $304.16 to Citrus Memorial’s
Development Director Chris Pool for the Hospital
Foundation’s Pediatric Park project. The children
also brought in and decorated a box full of new toys
for the children to play with when receiving treatment
in the Pediatric Center at the Hospital.
unit includes kidsized
hospital beds,
colorfully painted
themed wall murals
and artwork, and a
fully-equipped play
room. The unit’s
nursing staff was
trained in pediatric
care by professors
at the University of
Florida’s College of
Nursing and by local
pediatricians.
Since its
opening, Pediatric
Park has been busy.
“It’s like that saying, ‘if you build it, they will come,’” said Pool.
Citrus Memorial generally admits 400 pediatric patients each
year. In less than three months, the new unit had already served
more than 100 young patients, a projected annual increase of 25%.
“Parents prefer to stay in the area if they can,” said Leturno.
“They’re saying ‘I don’t want to take my child out of the
county, I want to go here.’” A mother of two small children
herself, Leturno understands completely. “For me as a parent,
it’s relief to know that my children can be admitted here to a
dedicated area with pediatrics-trained staff devoted to their
care.”
Although this immediate goal had been achieved, Pool
stated that fund-raising for Phase II of Pediatrics will now
start in earnest. The 2007 Citrus Memorial Ball is planned for
May 19 and net proceeds will go to Phase II
of Pediatrics. Phase II will be located at the
planned Family Care Health & Education
Center in Lecanto. The capital campaign
for this project is currently underway.
Anyone interested in finding out more
about Pediatric Park, or the hospital’s capital
campaign, can contact Chris Pool at 352-
344-6560. To watch an appeal for Phase II
you can access this on the Foundation’s new
website at www.cmhfoundation.com
ADVANCING THE VISION...
CARE FOR A LIFETIME
CAMPAIGN FOR CITRUS MEMORIAL HEALTH SYSTEM
352-344-6560
I would like to be an inspiration and make a positive difference in my community:
___ My check (payable to Citrus Memorial Health Foundation, Inc.) ___ Please bill my credit card the following amount of $__________
is enclosed in the amount of $__________ ___ VISA ___ MasterCard ___ American Express ___ Discover
Signature ________________________________________________
Card # ______________________________ Exp. Date ________
Address _____________________________________________ City _________________________State _______ Zip Code ____________
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Thank You for Making a Difference. All gifts are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.
If paying with a check, make check payable to Citrus Memorial Health Foundation, Inc.
Mail this Form to:
Chris Pool
Foundation Development Director
Citrus Memorial Health System
502 W. Highland Blvd.
Inverness, FL 34452