Newsroom
Generosity Heals and Nurtures Over Decades
Like every teenager of every generation, 15-year-old Barbara Andrew’s social life was her primary focus in 1964. Then, just as she had begun enjoying the fun of being a high school freshman, her health took a turn.
Celebrating a Compassionate Nurse On-the-Go
After Brandi Robertson, RN, had a traumatizing experience with inadequate nursing care surrounding the birth of her first child, she had an “aha” moment that changed the course of her life. “I didn’t want anyone else to ever have to go through that,” she says. “That’s why I decided to become a nurse.”
SendAFriend Raises $60k+ and Smiles for Kids
SendAFriend is an organization that aims to share laughs and smiles in a world often consumed with bad news, discouraging events, and negativity. SendAFriend’s goals align closely with Ranken Jordan’s own mission of helping children heal physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Moreover, every month, SendAFriend donates 10% of its total revenue to different pediatric hospitals around the country, and last August, SendAFriend donated $69,623 to Ranken Jordan!
Generous Donors Answer the Call
When Shannon and Bill Willhite learned that Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital needed to upgrade its nurse call light system to better care for the growing number of children at the hospital, they answered the call. The long-time Ranken Jordan volunteers and board members generously donated the funds necessary for a more sophisticated nurse call light system, which was installed in fall 2020.
The Making of an Award-Winning Physical Therapist
Sally Katz, a physical therapist at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital, understands the importance of teamwork. So, when she was recently honored with the Florence P. Kendall Service Award, established by Saint Louis University’s Program in Physical Therapy, it was no surprise when she shared the credit with her colleagues at Ranken Jordan.
Climbing Wall Opens to Encourage More Victories
With so many things closing due to the 2020 pandemic, it’s refreshing to hear about something fun and new opening. In September, Ranken Jordan celebrated the official opening of its adaptive rock climbing wall. The wall was incorporated into Ranken Jordan’s expansion in 2018. However, before it could be used, it needed a few finishing touches that required additional funding. Because of Mitchell Herndon and his generous friends and family, the rock climbing wall at Ranken Jordan was finally completed to benefits kids of all abilities.
Mary Ranken Jordan Service to Children Award 2020
The 2020 recipients of the Mary Ranken Jordan Service to Children Award are Rich and June Vandegrift.
Model MRI Donation Helps Kids Cope Through Play
At Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital, play is an important part of every day for kids. Medical play, another level of play, involves using real and pretend medical items to reduce fear and help kids cope with treatments and tests. Ranken Jordan’s child life specialists educate kids about why they’re in the hospital and help them cope with their experiences through medical play. Play is familiar and comforting to kids in a new situation.
Why It’s More Important Than Ever To Get Your Flu Shot
Many of us are feeling coronavirus overload. We’re tired of the threat of COVID-19 and its persistent grasp on our daily lives. Tired of worrying about every sniffle and cough. Tired of the uncertainty. To compound our concerns, flu season is on our doorstep. The good news is we are empowered to do something about it—by simply getting a flu shot. This is an illness that you can control and have an impact on because a vaccine is already available.
One Pandemic at a Time
The biggest threat across the country as we continue to see a steady rise in COVID-19 cases is what we may face in just a few months—Influenza. The 2019-2020 Influenza season was one of the most severe in recent years; the CDC reported more than 50,000,000 flu illnesses, 740,000 flu hospitalizations and 62,000 flu deaths. Of those, 188 were pediatric deaths [1]. As of August 25, COVID-19 has affected more than 5.7 million in the U.S. alone, with more than 178,000 deaths. Of those, 92 were pediatric deaths [1,2,3]. Despite the large number of COVID-19 cases both in the U.S and worldwide, there’s a lot we still don’t know about COVID-19. Evidence so far suggests that children with medical complexity (CMC) are at increased risk for severe illness and therefore our continued attention to this topic is of high value [4].
Ameren Corporation Charitable Trust Donates Patient Lifts
The Ameren Corporation Charitable Trust has given Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital $100,000 to fund power lifts to ensure safer lifting of patients as they transfer in and out of bed.
“Pandemic Delay” Keeps Challenger Baseball Players in the Dug Out
America was thrown a curveball when the COVID-19 pandemic hit this spring. We waited for months for baseball to return after an historic “pandemic delay.” While professional bats are swinging again— at least for now—one league is still waiting in the dugout: Challenger Baseball.
Keep up with everything going on at Ranken Jordan.
“I still think about how Ranken Jordan changed my life.”
— Kiland Sampa, Inpatient Jul-Nov 2013, Outpatient Dec 2013-Dec 2014