Gratitude Report
“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.”
-Dr. Seuss
100+
children received special education support in 2024
Shining Star School
“There is nothing better than seeing a patient accomplish an academic goal while in the hospital,” says Ella Trinkle, special education teacher in the Shining Star School at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon.
Thanks to the generous and ongoing support of our donors, the Shining Star School is able to continue offering specialized educational resources, like Ella, to create an inclusive environment where every hospitalized child can thrive. Because of you, we were able to provide personalized special education support to more than 100 children last year, ensuring they could continue learning and growing even during the challenges of hospitalization.
“Growing up, I struggled in school and felt embarrassed to have an IEP [Individualized Education Plan],” Ella says. “It took one amazing teacher to help me think differently about school and make it fun again.” Ella's guidance empowers children with special needs to communicate their thoughts and feelings freely, both through words and creative expression. This helps them feel safe and at ease, sharing their ideas and concerns. Ella's learning activities are enjoyable and engaging, drawing from her own experiences overcoming school challenges. Passionate about helping her patients succeed, Ella creates personalized learning plans and finds adaptive tools to support their needs.
Ella’s addition to the Shining Star School team has been instrumental in enhancing communication between patients, families, schools and clinical staff, improving health outcomes and patient satisfaction.
“Even miracles take a little time.” -Fairy Godmother, from Disney’s Cinderella
Midwest Pediatric Trauma Conference
At SSM Health Cardinal Glennon – a nationally recognized Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center – we’re dedicated to delivering life-saving care to our most vulnerable patients. For 33 years, our annual Midwest Pediatric Trauma conference has been a cornerstone event in pediatric trauma education, drawing more than 300 medical professionals from across the U.S. and even from as far away as Afghanistan.
Thanks to your generous support, many of our own critical care experts were able to attend and contribute their knowledge at this premier event. One highlight was our “Right Place in the First Place” initiative – a key message that underscores the importance of transporting pediatric trauma patients directly to specialized
centers for immediate, expert care. As Trauma Manager Tiffany Taylor noted, “Many community providers feel uncomfortable treating pediatric patients, so they want to get them to specialized care as quickly as possible.” Your contributions helped empower community physicians, nurses and paramedics with the tools and insights needed to make these life-saving decisions.
Your support doesn’t just help us attend conferences – it fuels a collaborative effort that improves outcomes for children facing critical emergencies. Together, we are ensuring that every child receives the specialized care they need, right from the start.
Left: Baby Dean (also pictured in the incubator above) celebrates his first birthday with family, friends and some of the EMT's, paramedics and care team members who saved his life
READ DEAN'S STORY
READ ELLIOT'S STORY
“A true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart.”
-Zeus, from Disney’s Hercules
National Pediatric Cardiology-Quality Improvement Collaborative
An important part of the exceptional care we provide at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon is our participation in national and global health care collaborations and best practice groups. These groups allow health care professionals to share knowledge, learn from each other's experiences, identify areas for improvement, leverage best practices and ultimately enhance the quality of patient care by staying updated with the latest advancements in the field.
One of these collaborations is the National Pediatric Cardiology-Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPC-QIC). This group is driving
progress in caring for infants and children with a rare and complex heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). Over 65 cardiac care centers now participate, working together to decrease mortality and improve outcomes for these patients.
Participation in NPC-QIC is made possible because of YOU.
Our NPC-QIC team is multidisciplinary and consists of cardiology nurses, a cardiothoracic surgical nurse, a cardiologist, a dietician, data manager, and parent of a child with HLHS.
“We have created an 'Interstage Monitoring Program' and have been able to provide infant scales to families at discharge from their first open heart surgery to monitor their child’s growth and progress through the high risk ‘interstage’ period until their second surgery. Several babies have been able to successfully wean off nasogastric tube feedings and enjoy their first birthday cake by mouth! This would not be possible without your support.”
– Gloria Lehmann, MD – Pediatric Cardiology, SLUCare Physician Group
VR technology can be used for...
• Congenital heart defect repairs
• Neurological procedures
• Orthopedic surgeries
• Plastic surgeries
• General surgeries
• Interventional Radiology procedures
“Don’t just fly, soar.” -Walt Disney’s Dumbo
Virtual RealityAssisted Surgery
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the future of pediatric surgery is unfolding before our eyes at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon.
Use of 3D modeling technology has transformed pre-operative planning for surgeons by using CT scans to create 3D models of patient anatomy. Virtual reality (VR) is a new technology that is revolutionizing how surgeons at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon approach complex cases. Surgeons can now “walk through” a procedure virtually, identify potential challenges and refine their surgical plan with greater precision.
At SSM Health Cardinal Glennon, surgeons are actively integrating VR into their surgical workflow. They utilize VR for planning, assessing pre- and post-surgical outcomes and more. Your generosity made it possible for our surgical team to acquire the latest in VR equipment and software.
» What does this mean for our young patients?
“Implementation of VR at Cardinal Glennon has already yielded significant benefits. Preoperative planning with VR has led to more efficient surgeries, reduced operating times, and fantastic patient outcomes.” – Kevin Chen, MD, Pediatric Plastic Surgeon, SLUCare Physician Group.
“The future depends on what you do today.”
B. F. Goodrich, from Disney’s Tomorrowland
Pediatric Fellowships
As a teaching hospital, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon provides numerous opportunities for graduate physicians to continue their education through a pediatric residency or a pediatric subspecialty fellowship.
Our newest pediatric fellowship in Infectious Disease is a game-changer for the care we provide to our young patients. Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we’ve expanded the services at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon with our first-ever pediatric fellow in this service line.
As part of this exciting fellowship, the Infectious Disease fellow will offer advanced consultations for patients with complex infectious conditions. They'll also work closely with our infection prevention experts, conduct research on new vaccines and treatments, and serve on the Antibiotic Stewardship Committee. This multidisciplinary team works to ensure antibiotics are used appropriately – maximizing their effectiveness while minimizing any harmful side effects or antibiotic resistance.
With the demand for specialized pediatric care increasing all the time, these expanded capabilities will enable SSM Health Cardinal Glennon to provide more comprehensive, cutting-edge care and children of all ages battling infectious diseases can receive the care they need right here at home.
Fellowships help train the next generation of doctors to excel as researchers, teachers, and highly specialized clinicians. Through our partnership with the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon hosts up to 44 fellows at a time, across 12 pediatric fellowship programs.
Pediatric Fellowship Programs at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon
Allergy & Immunology
Cardiology
Critical Care Medicine
Developmental Pediatrics
Emergency Medicine
Hematology-Oncology
Hospital Medicine
Infectious Disease
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Rheumatology
Sleep Medicine
“Love is putting someone else’s needs before yours.”
-Olaf, from Disney’s Frozen
Meeting the Moment
When our patients and families are at their most vulnerable, your gift will allow us to meet their moment of need.
Toys
Play is an important part of the healing process. Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our community, children who are hospitalized or make frequent visits to the hospital may choose from a variety of age- and developmentally appropriate toys. Our Child Life team also uses play as a way to educate patients about their disease or an upcoming procedure, helping to alleviate their fears.
Books
At our Shining Star School, young patients can select a book of their choice to read for pleasure or to support their studies, reflecting our commitment to their academic success.
Gas Cards
Families come to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon from across the region and beyond. When a child is hospitalized or makes frequent visits for dialysis, infusions or other appointments, expenses for travel add up quickly. For families facing financial strain, a gas card may be provided to help alleviate some of the burden.
Meal Kits
Many families served at The Danis Pediatric Center identify food insecurity as a high need. Through various community partnerships and donor support, we provide immediate assistance to families with meal kits containing nonperishable items, such as rice, pasta and vegetables, and often tailoring to cultural (or dietary) preferences and needs.
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“To infinity and beyond!”
-Buzz Lightyear, from Disney’s Toy Story
Gastroenterology and GI Surgery
The Gastroenterology and GI Surgery program at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital provides patientcentered clinical care supported by groundbreaking research. The team drives the development of innovative new therapies and diagnostics, establishing SSM Health Cardinal Glennon as a national and international leader in the field.
In addition to several services unique to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon, including the Neuro-Gastroenterology and Motility Center, the IMAGINE Program (Integrative Medicine Addressing Gastrointestinal Needs with Evidence), and the Glennon Intestinal Rehabilitation and Feeding (GIRAF) Team, a glimpse inside the research labs shows why this program is ranked 19th in the country and number 1 in the State of Missouri. One area of cutting-edge research focuses on liver disease and short bowel syndrome.
Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a condition where the small intestine is significantly shortened or damaged, preventing the body from absorbing enough nutrients from food. Infants with
SBS require total parenteral nutrition (TPN) – receiving all of their nutrition through an IV. Unfortunately, TPN can lead to potentially serious liver disease, though the exact cause of these complications is unknown. Currently, there are no established preventive therapies.
Dr. Ajay Jain, a pediatric hepatologist and gastroenterologist, and his team, have made a breakthrough that could transform care for these vulnerable patients. Their research has revealed that the critical communication between the gut and liver becomes disrupted when patients receive TPN. To address this issue, the team has been developing a promising medication for testing in clinical trials involving human infants. This drug is designed to activate a receptor within the bowel, potentially providing protective benefits to the liver.
Innovative research like this requires a significant investment of time and resources beyond daily clinical responsibilities. Generous donor support has provided the team with both time and resources to pursue this cutting-edge research.
"Sometimes we have to go deep inside ourselves to solve our problems.”
-Patrick Star, from SpongeBob SquarePants
Advances in Cardiac Imaging
Advancements in medicine have allowed children born with heart defects to live into adulthood, though they still require ongoing care. This was the case for a 19-year-old patient admitted to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital for respiratory infections. Further evaluation revealed he had undergone cardiac surgery as an infant but had not seen a cardiologist since age 5. His family had moved from out of state, which contributed to a lapse in follow-up care. Transitioning to adult cardiac care, he began treatment at the Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Program at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon—one of only two accredited programs in Missouri and the only one in the St. Louis region.
4D flow on the 3T MRI machine shows discrete narrowing in one of the structures of the patient's heart.
Strength (MFS). With twice the magnetic field strength of the traditional 1.5T system, a 3T MRI can provide more signal, resulting in higher spatial resolution, thus allowing it to be more sensitive to the most subtle changes in the heart muscle.
During his follow-up, doctors identified that his respiratory symptoms were caused by a narrowing in a structure of his heart that redirects blood flow. To accurately locate the issue and plan a necessary interventional catheterization, the medical team utilized advanced imaging techniques, including a 3T MRI scanner and a specialized contrast agent called ferumoxytol administered through an IV. The “T” in 3T stands for “Tesla,” a unit to measure Magnetic Field
The generosity of our donors enabled members of our pediatric cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery division to attend and present this case at the Global Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Conference in London. This opportunity allowed our team to educate thousands of conference attendees, including many adult cardiologists, on the advantages of using 3T MRI with ferumoxytol to determine the best plan of action for those complex congenital heart disease (CHD) cases. While adult cardiologists are highly skilled in treating a broad range of heart conditions, congenital heart disease presents unique challenges that require specialized training typically acquired in pediatric cardiology. By sharing this advanced imaging technique, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon is recognized as a leader in the field, enhancing patient outcomes and ensuring that adults with CHD continue to receive the specialized care they need throughout their lives.
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email: info@glennon.org
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