March 27, 2009 Robert Cotner, Editor Vol. V, No. 14
SHC – CHICAGO PATIENT, DALTON HERENDEEN, COMPETES IN PORTLAND, OR
Dalton Herendeen is an Indiana swimmer. He’s 15 years old and a sophomore at Concord High School, in Dunlap, just outside of Elkhart, IN. His relay team has been a State Finalist in high school competition in Indiana. Last week, he competed in the Paralympics Swimming Championship trials, an international event at Mt. Hood Community College, Portland, OR. Dalton won two gold medals, in the 100 meter and the 200 meter backstroke. His time (105.73) in the 100 meter qualifies him to represent the U.S. National Team and gives him opportunity to represent the U.S. in the Paralympics in London in 2012, in the Pan Am Games in Colombia and Brazil, and in other inter-national competitions. What is remarkable about these facts is that Dalton swims with one leg—and he can beat most swimmers who swim with two. He maintains a heavy training program in preparation for his international competition, swim-
ming twice a day: mornings from 5 to 7 AM and afternoons after school. In the photo, above, he prepares for a race in high school competition. In the photo right, he stands ready for competition. He will train for international competition this summer in Colorado Springs, CO. Dalton Herendeen, a patient at SHC – Chicago since he was a baby, is on the threshold of great success as a young athlete. We congratulate Dalton on his Portland victories. He honors our hospital, our doctors and medical staff, and all of our children, who leave this hospital with high self-esteem and a drive to succeed greater than most who are whole and healthy. Congratulations to Dalton, his family, and his coach Tom Johnson—and best wishes in your gallant endeavors, Dalton! His father says it best: “The Moral of this story is attitude. It can make you or break you. Be thankful for what we have been given every day!!!!”
HOSPITAL USHERS SERVE QUIETLY, EFFICIENTLY, AND WITH MANY HOURS
In 2008, 649 volunteer Hospital Ushers gave 74 tours. More than 1,159 people were given tours, and the Ushers donated 2,354 hours in service to SHC – Chicago and to our kids. Included in these figures are tours for three Shrine State Bowl Football teams, from Illinois and Nebraska. Each team had 120 players, plus coaches, TV and radio media, sponsors, and various Shrine state representatives. It also includes Hospital Day for 2008. This is a distinguished record for Shriners from Medinah and Orak Temples, who, as volunteers, bring richness to our lives and the lives of all they serve. Thank you, Nobles!
Chicago
Shriners Hospitals for Children – Chicago is one of 22 Shrine hospitals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, providing orthpaedic, burn, spinal cord injury care and rehabilitation, and plastic surgery for children from birth to 18 years of age—all at no charge to parents, any third-party or governmental agency.
All Shrine hospitals, including Chicago, are supported entirely by endowment income, tax-deductible contributions and bequests from the general public, grants from corporations and foundations, fund-raising events held by the Shrine fraternal organization and other interested groups, and individual assessments to members of the Shrine. Less than ten percent of the hospitals’ operating budget is used for administrative costs. The 90 percent that directly benefits the children is carefully supervised for maximum productivity and is applied to patient care, research, and medical education.
In Chicago, Shriners Hospital, a 60-bed facility located in the northwest part of the city, specializes in orthpaedic, plastic and craniofacial surgery, and spinal cord injury care and rehabilitation. The hospital, originally constructed in 1926, was rebuilt in 1981. A major expansion of the hospital was completed in 2004. The hospital serves children primarily from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Because of its specialized programs and services and the extraordinary skill of our medical staff, however, children from across the United States and from many foreign countries are referred to Shriners Hospital Chicago for care.
In the past 82 years, more than 60,000 children have been treated at the Shriners Hospital Chicago for a wide range of orthpaedic conditions, including injuries and diseases of the bones, joints, spine, and muscles, osteogenesis imperfecta, limb-length deficiencies, club feet, dislocated joints, and hand deformities; the orthpaedic problems of cerebral palsy, burn scars, acquired or congenital cleft lip, palate, or other facial deformities, and spinal cord injuries are all conditions for which the hospital provides services.
Shriners Hospital Chicago is committed to pediatric medical research, with more than 60 clinical studies underway, both prospective and retrospective in nature. Shriners Hospital research focuses on transitions, from childhood to adolescence and from adolescence to adulthood—to insure that our care has a positive, long-lasting impact in the lives of children served.
Shriners Hospital Chicago brings together a deeply committed group of Shriners, as well as non-Shrine volunteers, from the immediate area and from surrounding states. They drive patients to our hospital from all over the Midwest and other parts of America, support recreation activities and events for the children, and assist with clinics, in-patient care units, and throughout the hospital. Volunteers contribute thousands of hours annually and are an important part of the efficiency of the hospital’s operation.
Shriners Hospital Chicago is one of the busiest in the Shrine network. In 2007, there were 1,794 in-patient admissions, 1,511 surgeries performed, and more than 14,120 outpatient clinic visits—all without charge to the patients or their families. In addition to providing medical care and research, Shriners Hospital Chicago is also a prominent teaching hospital. It provides undergraduate education for medical students. It offers graduate residencies in orthpaedic surgery, plastic surgery, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. And it awards fellowships in pediatric orthpaedic surgery and spine surgery care. The hospital has also instituted a program of community outreach, offering free information and education in the prevention of spinal cord and other injuries, to schools, at health fairs, and at community events. All of these services are provided out of our $40.3 million annual budget.
6/12/08
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