We Stand For Care

A team of musicians are always available to play music for patients of Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. Thanks to generous donors the music is free.

The six musicians are harpists Verlene Schermer, Barbary Grant, Pamela Bowen and Barbra Telynor, and guitarists Jeff Buenz and Jim Nichols.

They play whatever is requested, including Celtic, pop, classical or bluegrass. Grant’s signature is Bach’s “Prelude in C” and Schermer’s hits include “What A Wonderful World,” “Wind Beneath My Wings” and “Stand By Me.”

Sometimes the referrals come from nurses and other house staff. This small touch makes a big difference in the overall patient care.

Read more about these artists’ soothing music.

Over the past 10 years Care-A-Van has provided round trip door-to-door service to families who have no other means of getting their children to LPCH.

Thanks to selfless volunteers and generous donations Care-A-Van has provided 6,353 rides since 1998. Care-A-Van serves Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties. This highly utilized and appreciated community service is truly indispensable, especially for those with chronically ill children who require frequent trips to LPCH.

The 10-year anniversary finds the team planning for the future by moving their entire fleet to hybrid vehicles by 2013. One by one, the older vans will be replaced with fuel-efficient hybrids that will both preserve natural resources and lower operating costs.

Care-A-Van will continue to serve and strengthen the community for many years to come. Read more about the 10th Anniversary.

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital’s recently-formed Pediatric Advance Workshop With Simulation (PAWWS) is working with Bay Area firefighters to provide children in emergencies with the greatest possible care.

Over 150 local firefighters will receive advanced pediatric training on November 5, 7 and 14. “When searching out training for this, we wanted our people to receive the best we could find. Clearly the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Center for Nursing Excellence is arguably the best in the country. So the partnership only made sense to us,” said John Kammeyer, EMS Division Chief, Central San Mateo County Fire Departments.

The firefighters, using their own equipment, will enter unexpected simulations with the goal of rescuing lifelike pediatric mannequins. Nurses and doctors will review the videotape of each scenario to provide feedback on the technical and behavioral skills required to save kids’ lives.

Lynda Knight, RN, who developed the PAWWS program at Packard Children’s, offered a salute to the firefighters’ dedication. “These are true public servants. They’re taking this training because they know that saving lives is their mission. We’re proud to partner with them, and we expect to learn and share a lot through our work together.”

Read more about the pediatric emergency training the firefighters received from PAWWS.

In today’s tough economic times there are two consistent contributors to our local economy and community: Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.

The recently-released Fall 2008 Community Benefits Summary explains these contributions.

The hospitals’ economic impact was $444 million in both San Mateo and Santa Clara counties last year. In addition, both hospitals contribute financially to other nonprofits serving the local community. Instead of requiring taxpayer money, each institution is privately funded through hospital operations, philanthropy and debt financing. Packard Children’s, along with other hospitals, receives money from the statewide Children’s Hospital Bond Act of 2004.

Partnerships and programs in the community, emphasizing public service, are primarily aimed to provide care to those who need it regardless of economic status. Programs include Stanford Health Library, Packard Children’s partnership with the Ravenswood Family Health Center in East Palo Alto, and the School of Medicine and Stanford Hospital & Clinics’ involvement in the Arbor Free Clinic in Menlo Park.

These contributions demonstrate the importance both hospitals place on making a difference in the community. Read more about the Benefits Summary.

Ronny Turiaf, an NBA player with a big heart, owes his life to Stanford Hospital.

After several seasons with the Lakers, Turiaf joined the Golden State Warriors this summer. No stranger to the Bay Area, he recently paid a visit to Stanford Hospital’s Dr. Craig Miller.

In 2005 the Lakers sent Turiaf to Stanford Hospital because of his enlarged aortic root. Miller found that, without surgery, Turiaf could not only never play basketball again, but was risking his life. Miller implanted a graft to save the aortic valve, which has allowed Turiaf to continue his career.

Turiaf calls Miller simply as “The man who saved me.”

To read more about how the people at Stanford Hospital make a difference, read Warriors’ new big man Turiaf is all heart.

Past and present Stanford University soccer stars will be donating blood on Friday Oct. 3 at Hillview Donor Center at 3373 Hillview Avenue in Palo Alto from 10:30am until 12:30pm.

Nicole Barnhart, Olympic gold medal winner and Stanford alumna, will donate blood along with current Stanford soccer star Erica Holland. By making an appointment to donate, fans can meet Nicole and Erica and get autographs.

To make an appointment please call (650) 723-7831 or (888) 723-7831, or schedule an appointment online. Donors should be in good health with no cold or flu symptoms. They must eat well prior to donation, drink fluids and present photo identification at the time of donation. The process takes about an hour.

This event is a great example of the ways that Stanford University Medical Center works together work Stanford University to reach out and make a difference in the community.

Read more about the donation.

It’s not everyday you see a miracle, though you are more likely to see them if you work at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.

Laura Börk, a baby born with a rare and severe condition, was successfully treated using new methods of minimally invasive surgery. ”We’re one of the top pediatric hospitals in the world for minimally invasive surgery,” says Craig Albanese, MD.

Miles Coulson, a newborn waiting for a heart transplant, received a miniature, external heart pump attached by tubes. In the U.S. this procedure had only been used on just three other children, and never before for such a young child.

Joe Wise, a 15-year-old grew up with the energy-depleting disorder chronic mitochondrial myopathy. Working with the Packard medical team he uses a unique treatment plan that propelled his swimming career into the Paralympics in Beijing earlier this year.

The doctors, nurses and staff help make a difference everyday Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. Read more about these everyday miracles.

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital held its first college graduation ceremony for Leslie Zeller, a cancer patient was supposed to graduate with Santa Clara University’s Class of 2007. A year of chemotherapy and two relapses of her disease put the business and marketing student’s studies on hold.

As Zenner slowly made her way toward a hospital auditorium, nurses and doctors showcased moving teamwork by lining the hospital hallway. Several wept, and the team hummed “Pomp and Circumstance.” The university’s longtime president, Rev. Paul Locatelli, personally awarded the diploma.

Zenner said she feels blessed to be among so many gifted doctors, “The nurses are so great, and everyone is so open to my questions. They go out of their way to find answers for me.”

Read more about Leslie Zenner’s graduation at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital is encouraging families to work together in the fight against childhood obesity. The pediatric weight-control program is designed to help children, as well as their parents, prevent an epidemic that can lead to future problems such as diabetes or heart disease.

An estimated 17 percent of American youth are overweight; double for adults. Families at Packard learn to break bad habits and and encourage short term wins. As a result 12-year-old Austen lost 14 pounds and his mother Erica Lovett dropped 10, learning and working together throughout.

Read more about the pediatric weight-control program.

The care patients receive at Stanford Hospital & Clinics’ Trauma Center brought them back for an annual reunion. These stories of survival include a wide range of people, a 22 year-old and an 83 year-old for example, who all stand as a testament to how Stanford Hospital made a difference in their lives.

The fourth annual trauma center reunion connects the former patients to their doctors and nurses, demonstrating ongoing teamwork. Thomas Pavelko, 59, celebrated one year of survival since a serious car accident. He remembers hearing one of the ambulance crew say they’d be taking him to Stanford—and he began to relax.

This special occassional serves as another notice of the advancement of patient care on display at Stanford Hospital. Read more about the reunion.