Shriners Children's is a network of non-profit medical facilities across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients' ability to pay. Care for children is usually provided until age 18, although in some cases, it may be extended to age 21. Headquartered in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, the hospitals are owned and operated by

Shriners International Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

, formerly known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, a

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

-related organization whose members are known as Shriners. Patients are not required to have any familial affiliation with the Shriners order nor Freemasonry. The current advertising campaign for the healthcare system features the tagline, "Love to the Rescue."

History

Shriner's Hospital marker, Shreveport, LA IMG 2363

In 1920, the Imperial Session of the Shriners was held in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

. During that session the membership unanimously passed a resolution put forward by

W. Freeland Kendrick W. Freeland Kendrick (1873 – March 20, 1953
Accessed March 24, 2008.) was the

who (while serving as Imperial Potentate) put forth the resolution that created the Shriners Hospitals for Children. The first hospital in the system opened in 1922 in Shreveport,

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. It provided

pediatric Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

orthopaedic Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

care. Shriners Hospitals for Children worked closely with the

United States Southern Command The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida in Greater Miami, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning, o ...

and other military commands, including the Army and Air Force, the Guatemalan combined military force and via the U.S. embassy, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the U.S. State Department to arrange medical visas and transportation to the United States, "with a global commitment to children around the world". In 1962, the Shriners of North America allocated $10 million to establish three hospitals that specialized in the treatment and rehabilitation of burned children. After visiting 21 university-based medical institutions, the decision was made to build their first

pediatric burn A pediatric burn is an injury to the skin or underlying tissue in person under the age of 18, and is globally the most common type of pediatric injury. Burns can be caused my heat, cold, chemical or irritation. Most burns do not require hospita ...

hospital on the campus of the

University of Texas Medical Branch The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is a public academic health science center in Galveston, Texas. It is part of the University of Texas System. UTMB includes the oldest medical school in Texas, and has about 11,000 employees. In Febr ...

in Galveston, Texas. In 1994, the ''

Chronicle of Philanthropy ''The Chronicle of Philanthropy'' is a magazine that covers the nonprofit world of philanthropy. Based in Washington, DC, it is aimed at charity leaders, foundation executives, fund raisers, and other people involved in philanthropy. ''The Chroni ...

'', an industry publication, released the results of the largest study of charitable and non-profit organization popularity and credibility. The study showed that the Shriners Hospitals were ranked as the 9th "most popular charity/non-profit in America" of over 100 charities researched with 40% of Americans over the age of 12 choosing "Love" and "Like A Lot" for the Shriners Hospitals. In September 2008, the Shriner's Hospital in Galveston sustained significant damage from Hurricane Ike. The hospital was closed for renovation at that time, and care for children with acute burns was provided at other Shriners Hospitals for Children. The Shriners had considered closing facilities in Shreveport, Louisiana; Greenville, South Carolina;

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

;

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...

; Springfield, Massachusetts and Galveston, Texas, eliminating a total of 225 beds. However, in July 2009, the Shriners National Convention voted overwhelming against closing any hospitals and to repair and reopen the Galveston facility. In 2009, despite an endowment that declined from $8 billion to $5 billion in less than a year because of the poor economy, Douglas Maxwell, the hospitals' CEO said he and other Shriners are confident the hospital system will be able to remain solvent in the long term. Maxwell stated in July 2009 that some of the facilities may become outpatient surgical centers, and will begin accepting insurance payments (for most care) for the first time in the hospitals' 87-year history. Maxwell said children with burns, orthopaedic conditions, spinal cord injuries and cleft palates will continue to be treated without charge to their families. In May 2015, Shriners Hospitals for Children became a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, a national network of organizations committed to better serving patients and their families through physician collaboration. In the 2020s, Shriners Hospitals for Children rebranded as Shriners Children's, adapting to current nationwide trends in health care, especially the emphasis on outpatient care, and some locations becoming clinics or outpatient centers.

Treatments

Treatment areas cover a wide range of pediatric orthopaedics, including scoliosis, limb discrepancies,

clubfoot Clubfoot is a birth defect where one or both feet are rotated inward and downward. Congenital clubfoot is the most common congenital malformation of the foot with an incidence of 1 per 1000 births. In approximately 50% of cases, clubfoot aff ...

hip dysplasia Hip dysplasia is an abnormality of the hip joint where the socket portion does not fully cover the ball portion, resulting in an increased risk for joint dislocation. Hip dysplasia may occur at birth or develop in early life. Regardless, it doe ...

, and

juvenile idiopathic arthritis Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common, chronic rheumatic disease of childhood, affecting approximately one per 1,000 children. ''Juvenile'', in this context, refers to disease onset before 16 years of age, while ''idiopathic'' r ...

, as well as

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sens ...

spina bifida Spina bifida (Latin for 'split spine'; SB) is a birth defect in which there is incomplete closing of the spine and the membranes around the spinal cord during early development in pregnancy. There are three main types: spina bifida occulta, men ...

(

myelomeningocele Spina bifida (Latin for 'split spine'; SB) is a birth defect in which there is incomplete closing of the spine and the membranes around the spinal cord during early development in pregnancy. There are three main types: spina bifida occulta, men ...

), and other neurological conditions that affect ambulation and movement. Three of the hospitals provide

spinal cord injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cor ...

rehabilitation that is developmentally appropriate for children and adolescents, with adventure and adapted sports programs, activity-based rehabilitation, aquatherapy,

animal-assisted therapy Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is an alternative or complementary type of therapy that includes the use of animals in a treatment. The goal of this animal-assisted intervention is to improve a patient's social, emotional, or cognitive functionin ...

, and other programs. Four of the hospitals (Boston, Galveston, Cincinnati, and Sacramento) provide care for children with burns, as well as treating a variety of skin conditions such as

epidermolysis bullosa Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of rare medical conditions that result in easy blistering of the skin and mucous membranes. Blisters occur with minor trauma or friction and are painful. Its severity can range from mild to fatal. Inherited E ...

and

toxic epidermal necrolysis Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a type of severe skin reaction. Together with Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) it forms a spectrum of disease, with TEN being more severe. Early symptoms include fever and flu-like symptoms. A few days later ...

. The Boston, Chicago, Shreveport, and Portland hospitals also provide treatment for children with

craniofacial Craniofacial (''cranio-'' combining form meaning head or skull + ''-facial'' combining form referring to the facial structures grossly) is an adjective referring to the parts of the head enclosing the brain and the face. The term is typically used ...

conditions, especially facial clefts. The hospital in Sacramento is the only hospital in the Shriners' system that focuses on all three areas of treatment (burns, orthopaedics, and spinal cord injuries), as well as research. The Sacramento hospital also houses its own orthotics and prosthetics lab and development facilities. Transportation to the hospitals is often provided free of charge for patients and their family by

Shriner Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

-drivers (also known as Hospital Tripsters) across the country, by van or by airplane. Children accepted for treatment become part of the Shriners Hospital system until their 18th or, sometimes, their 21st, birthday, eligible for both inpatient and outpatient treatment for all facets of their disability. While the main emphasis of the hospitals is to provide medical care to children regardless of the family's ability to pay, the mission of the hospitals also includes research on the conditions treated and the education of medical professionals, including

medical residents Residency or postgraduate training is specifically a stage of graduate medical education. It refers to a qualified physician (one who holds the degree of MD, DO, MBBS, MBChB), veterinarian ( DVM or VMD) , dentist ( DDS or DMD) or podiatrist ( ...

and fellows, nurses, physical, recreation, and

occupational therapists Occupational therapists (OTs) are health care professionals specializing in occupational therapy and occupational science. OTs and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) use scientific bases and a holistic perspective to promote a person's abili ...

speech and language pathology Speech is a human vocal communication using language. Each language uses phonetic combinations of vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if they are th ...

, psychologists, social workers, and child life specialists.

Support

, the Shriners Hospitals'

Form 990 Form 990 (officially, the "Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax") is a United States Internal Revenue Service form that provides the public with financial information about a nonprofit organization. It is often the only source of such i ...

, show an endowment of $8.2 billion, which is up significantly since April 2009, when the endowment dropped to approximately $5 billion due to the

recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...

Facilities

United States

''Shriners Hospitals:'' Locations by Specialty: *Shriners Children's Boston – Boston, Massachusetts – (acute burns, orthopaedics, cleft lip and palate) *Shriners Children's Chicago –

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

– (

orthopaedics Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

cleft lip and palate A cleft lip contains an opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose. The opening may be on one side, both sides, or in the middle. A cleft palate occurs when the palate (the roof of the mouth) contains an opening into the nose. The ...

) *Shriners Children's Erie –

– (orthopaedics) *Shriners Children's Florida –

– (orthopaedics) *Shriners Children's Greenville – Greenville, South Carolina – (orthopaedics) *Shriners Children's Hawaii –

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

– (orthopaedics, pediatric dentistry) *Shriners Children's Lexington – Lexington, Kentucky – (orthopaedics) *Shriners Children's New England – Springfield, Massachusetts – (orthopaedics, cleft lip and palate) *Shriners Children's Northern California –

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

– (acute burns, orthopaedics, spinal cord injury) – ''successor facility to the former San Francisco hospital'' *Shriners Children's Ohio –

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

– (acute burns, cleft lip and palate, pediatric plastic surgery) – ''consolidated with the former Cincinnati hospital'' '' *Shriners Children's Philadelphia –

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

– (orthopaedics, spinal cord injury) * Shriners Children's Portland –

– (orthopaedics, scoliosis, cleft lip and palate, burns) ** ''A predecessor building from 1923, the

Old Shriners Children's Hospital The Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children, also known as Old Shriners Children's Hospital, was a historic building in Portland, Oregon, United States, built in 1923. It was designed in Colonial Revival style with aspects of the Georgian Revival ...

also called ''Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children'', was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, but has since been demolished.'' *Shriners Children's Salt Lake City –

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

– (orthopaedics) *Shriners Children's Shreveport – Shreveport, Louisiana – (orthopaedics, scoliosis, cleft lip and palate) - ''the first Shriners Hospital'' *Shriners Children's Southern California – Pasadena, California – (orthopaedics, cleft lip and palate) *Shriners Children's Spokane –

– (orthopaedics) *Shriners Children's St. Louis –

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

– (orthopaedics) * Shriners Children's Texas – Galveston, Texas – (burn care, orthopaedics, spine and spinal cord, sports medicine) – ''consolidated with the former Houston hospital'' *Shriners Children's Twin Cities –

Woodbury, Minnesota Woodbury is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States, eight miles (13 km) east of Saint Paul along Interstate 94. It is part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The population was 75,102 at the 2020 census, making it ...

– (orthopaedics, pediatric surgery, craniofacial, rheumatic diseases) – ''successor facility to the former Minneapolis hospital'' ''Satellite Clinics:'' *Shriners Children's Bismarck Satellite Clinic – Bismarck, North Dakota – (orthopaedics, club foot, sports medicine, cerebral palsy) *Shriners Children's Boys Town Satellite Clinic –

Boys Town, Nebraska Boys Town is a village in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 410 at the 2020 census. Boys Town is an enclave and a suburb of Omaha. The village of Boys Town was established in 1917 as the headquarters of Father Flanagan ...

– (orthopaedics, club foot, sports medicine, cerebral palsy) *Shriners Children's Downtown Los Angeles Satellite Clinic –

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

*Shriners Children's Doylestown Satellite Clinic –

Doylestown, Pennsylvania Doylestown is a borough and the county seat of Bucks County in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Trenton, north of Center City, Philadelphia, southeast of Allentown, and southwest of New York City. As of the 2020 ...

*Shriners Children's Rapid City Satellite Clinic –

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

– (orthopaedics, club foot, sports medicine, cerebral palsy)

Canada

Shriners Hospital for Children - Canada Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

–

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

– (orthopaedics) - serving Canada and the northeast United States

Mexico

*Shriners Hospital for Children –

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

– (orthopaedics)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shriners Hospitals For Children *

Shriners Hospital Shriners Children's is a network of non-profit medical facilities across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-center ...

Hospital networks in the United States Hospitals established in 1922 Medical research institutes in Florida Non-profit organizations based in Florida Companies based in Tampa, Florida Shriners 1922 establishments in Louisiana