Pediatric hospitals nationwide form new nonprofit foundation
Pediatric hospitals nationwide form new nonprofit foundation
September 26, 2007
Representatives from 53 children's hospitals and hospital systems launched a new nonprofit foundation, Together for Kids, at a press conference in Washington, DC, today.
With the help of retired NFL football player Jason Sehorn, the foundation announced it would raise funds to help member hospitals with the increasing costs of health care for children. Sehorn and his wife, actress Angie Harmon, serve as honorary co-chairs for the launch.
Carol Marshall, executive director at the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital and a Together for Kids board member, represented the University of Chicago Medical Center at the announcement made at the National Press Club.
"Together for Kids is a national organization that's open to all medical facilities that care for children," Marshall said. "Through its efforts, member hospitals will receive funds to tackle urgent children's health needs in their communities."
The Physicians Advisory Committee, made up of pediatric specialists from Together for Kids hospitals, chose two issues upon which to initially focus: childhood obesity and injury prevention.
"These pressing issues challenge our nation," Marshall said. "The decisions we make and actions we take today will affect our children and generations of children to come."
In April 2008, Comer Children's Hospital and other members will participate in the organization's first annual national fundraising campaign, Come Out to Play. This month-long series of events will raise money for hospitalized children while encouraging families to play in healthy and safe ways.
Comer Children's Hospital and Shriners Hospital for Children are the foundation's two founding members in Chicago. The public charity includes 34 pediatric hospitals and hospital systems with a total of 53 individual facilities in 47 cities.
About Together for kids
Together for Kids (www.togetherforkids.org) is a national alliance of children's hospitals and hospitals serving children. The organization, dedicated to building a healthier future for America's kids, provides an urgently needed national fundraising mechanism for its member hospitals, helping them care for seriously ill children.
About Comer Children's Hospital
Opened in February 2005, Comer Children's Hospital serves seriously ill children from across Chicago and the world. Staffed by leading physicians, the 155-bed hospital specializes in neonatology, neurology, transplantation, critical care, minimally invasive surgeries, cardiology and oncology.