2023 Cardinal Glennon Gratitude Report

SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital

GRATITUDE

Perhaps you’ve seen the gold badges that recognize SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital as one of the "best children's hospitals"... we hope so! It’s something to be proud of, and we want you to know what it means and how YOU made it possible.

When a child is sick or injured, their families want the best care possible. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon is a regional destination for high-quality pediatric care.

As the nation’s first free-standing Catholic children’s hospital, we have been a leader in the field of pediatric medicine since we opened our doors. The US News rankings further solidify that reputation.

Nationally ranked - locally loved.

NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

Keeping up with pediatric health care technology ensures premature newborns receive the best possible care. Thanks to generous donor support, the Dana Brown Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) recently upgraded its infant incubators with new Babyleo® IncuWarmers. The new IncuWarmers simulate a mother's womb by stabilizing temperature, reducing noise and light and preventing infection. It even has a "Kangaroo mode" to promote mother/baby bonding and integrated audio to play recordings of a mother’s voice or heartbeat.

Missouri's top-ranked NICU!

CARDIOLOGY AND HEART SURGERY

Innovation is at the ‘heart’ of the exceptional health care we provide for babies and their families, even while the baby is still in the womb.

The SSM Health Cardinal Glennon fetal heart team at the St. Louis Fetal Care Institute uses state-of-the-art technology to detect heart defects as early as 18 weeks of gestation. The generosity of donors supports such innovation as specialized fetal MRI, leading to our center’s ranking of #1 in Missouri.

A fetal MRI scan is a non-invasive procedure that makes high-resolution images to show heart defects not visible on prenatal ultrasounds. The fetal MRI monitor detects the cardiac motion of the fetal heartbeat and synchronizes the fetal cardiac cycle with the MRI so that the imaging is both anatomical and functional. This innovative tool gives our cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons the best quality imaging, improving clinical decision-making, care planning, and family counseling.

Donor funding also made the following investments possible:

• Portable echocardiogram machine

• New EKG machines

• 4D echocardiogram machine

• Innovative contrast delivery system

• Metabolic stress equipment

SIMULATION-BASED TRAINING AT SSM HEALTH CARDINAL GLENNON

Simulation-based education and training is a vital tool for hospitals to train physicians, nurses, and other staff in responding to emergencies. With the help of donor support and in partnership with the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, a dedicated space opened last year at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon called the Clinical Simulation Lab. The lab includes dedicated areas for newborn, infant, child, and adolescent simulations, equipped with advanced technology, state-of-the-art medical equipment, and realistic patient simulators called manikins. Medical manikins are designed to replicate real patients in weight and movement and even have veins and airways that can be used in a wide range of simulated medical procedures.

Simulations have expanded from pediatric resident training to also include medical student simulations as part of the curriculum at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Training exercises range from incidents occurring at the bedside, in the emergency department, in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

Beth Hankamer, MSN, BS, RN, simulation clinical educator, is the full-time coordinator for the simulation exercises developed in the lab. She says, “Thanks to our partnership with the School of Medicine and SSM Health, we have other dedicated facilities locally for comprehensive nursing and medical simulations. But having a dedicated simulation lab for training on-site using pediatric manikins and our hospital’s own equipment enhances the training we offer and, ultimately, the care we provide to our young patients here in our own hospital.”

STAFF EDUCATION Compassionate Care

Donor support enables caregivers at SSM Health

Cardinal Glennon to access continuous professional development, allowing them to keep up with the latest information, technological advances and lifesaving skills that have a measurable impact on the lives of patients and their families.

Amber Moss (seen left with Cody Pey of our Footprints℠ Program) and her twin boys spent considerable time at Cardinal Glennon over the past ten years. Grant and Sebastian were transferred to the Dana Brown Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as newborns and were diagnosed with a rare metabolic disorder. At just six days old, the boys were enrolled in the Footprints℠ program for their complex medical needs. Until last November, most of the care the Moss family received from the Footprints℠ Program had been preventative, but that quickly changed when an admission took an unexpected turn and Sebastian passed away.

Amber had many questions, concerns, and fears about how to move forward, navigate life without Sebastian and continue to care for Grant. "While many of my questions couldn't be answered by others, Cody Pey, a compassionate bereavement care provider on the Footprints℠ Team has been able to listen to my worries and concerns,” she says. Cody helped Amber better manage her stress, communicate her concerns, and give herself permission to be ‘okay with not being okay’ each and every moment.

Last year, Cody Pey attended a four-day conference in Arizona to become certified in Compassionate Bereavement Care. He received the necessary and critical training to help Amber cope with her grief, lessen her fears and live more fully in the present. Donor support made Cody’s valuable training possible and, as a result, Amber got the bereavement care she needed. Thank you for making a difference with your generosity.

THE COSTAS CENTER

Comfort Ability Program

Child Life Services and Dance Therapy

When children need intense cancer treatment or bone marrow transplants, they are admitted to The Costas Center Inpatient Cancer Unit. Weeks or months of intense care can result in prolonged periods of inactivity, which is difficult for kids. “We have patients who need to get out of bed and move but are feeling tired or depressed, and physical therapy feels too clinical,” says Robert Parker, CPNP-APRN, BSN, MSN, a pediatric nurse practitioner in The Costas Center. “That's where Child Life and Creative Arts Therapies programs help our Costas patients. Dance Therapy is a fun activity that motivates patients to get out of bed. Then, in the days that follow, we reintroduce physical therapy to help them build strength. It is so important for these kids to have non-medical people who get to know them and aren’t going to poke them with needles!” Child Life services are not covered by insurance, yet they are integral to pediatric health. Your support makes these important services possible.

The Costas Center provides treatment for more than just cancer; we are also a designated treatment center for Sickle Cell Disease in Missouri and Illinois. Thanks to donor support, our staff received training on The Comfort Ability® Program, a nonpharmacological self-management program that helps children, teens and caregivers manage recurring symptoms such as chronic pain (nerve, muscle or joint pain, headaches, abdominal pain, etc.), nausea, dizziness, fatigue and muscle weakness which can increase hospitalizations.

Abigail Sharamitaro, MSN, RN, CPNP, CPON, and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in The Costas Center (shown in photo at left) explains, "In addition to treating symptoms, we ensure patients receive recommended vaccines, meet developmental milestones and achieve academic goals." Research shows that patients using active coping strategies have fewer health care crises and less disruption to daily activities. Donor support made this specialized staff training possible.

GASTROENTEROLOGY & GI SURGERY

Imagine your child tossing and turning in bed in excruciating stomach pain for hours or days. Another episode of IBS or chronic abdominal pain...pain so severe they miss more school and time with friends, taking a heavy toll on their social life. SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital is the only provider in the region that offers a nonsurgical, electronic device called IB-STIM to treat IBS in kids 11 to 18 years old. This small stimulator worn behind the ear gently stimulates the brain's pain processing areas. SSM Health Cardinal Glennon has seen a remarkable 95% patient satisfaction rate among adolescents treated to date, with all experiencing more than 80% relief from their symptoms. Because of YOU, Cardinal Glennon can provide this device for patients, even if their insurance won't cover it.

NEPHROLOGY

Kidney disease and its treatment can have a significant impact on a child’s daily routine, social life and school schedule which can lead to social isolation and increase the risk of mental health and behavioral issues. SSM Health Cardinal Glennon provides support and resources for children and their parents, helping them care for their child's emotional wellbeing during a challenging time. Thanks to your generosity, every June, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon patients enjoy a week-long experience at Camp Okawehna in Tennessee. Camp “O," as it is affectionately called, fosters independence, growth, trust and self-discovery in pediatric kidney patients. Most importantly, campers find normalcy and community among other kids just like them.

Children’s Foundation

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