The year 2022 marks a special milestone for Shriners Children’s: 100 years of improving the lives of more than 1.5 million children, and counting.
Since our first hospital opened in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1922, Shriners Children’s has been a unique health care system with a reputation for finding answers and giving families hope. At our locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, children receive excellent care for orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate.
Children under the age of 18 are eligible for care from Shriners Children’s if there is a reasonable possibility they could benefit from the specialized services available. All services are provided regardless of families’ ability to pay or insurance status.
State-of-the-art specialty care
The first Shriners Hospital was opened primarily to help children who had contracted polio. Today, most of our locations provide care for children with all types of orthopedic conditions.
In the mid-1960s, we opened three hospitals specializing in pediatric burn care. We believe these are the only hospitals in the country that were initially established exclusively for the treatment of pediatric burns and related conditions. Burn care is now offered at Shriners Children’s locations in Boston, Massachusetts; Dayton, Ohio; Galveston, Texas; and Sacramento, California. These hospitals continue to be pioneers in pediatric burn treatment and research and are recognized as leaders in the development of treatment techniques.
In the early 1980s, our organization began the United States’ first pediatric spinal cord injury rehabilitation programs. These initiatives offer patients a complete range of services that help promote recovery to the fullest extent possible.
Shriners Children’s also offers care for cleft lip and palate. Despite the frequency of its occurrence and its severity, comprehensive care for patients with cleft lip and palate can be difficult to obtain. Shriners Children’s is committed to improving care for children with this condition through a coordinated program of clinical excellence, teaching and research.
Groundbreaking research and discoveries
Shriners Children’s strives to discover answers that will one day improve lives by conducting innovative research. The Shriners Children’s Genomics Institute is working to discover genetic causes for the conditions we treat and to develop new therapies. Our researchers have made significant breakthroughs, improving the care and quality of life for countless children worldwide while adding to the global body of medical knowledge.
Educating health care professionals
We are also proud of our role in medical education. By maintaining relationships with several medical teaching facilities, Shriners Children’s fosters an academic environment committed to providing superior education for medical professionals and quality care to all patients.
The next 100 years
Everyone connected with Shriners Children’s appreciates the privilege of caring for children and looks forward to the next 100 years of service to patients and families.
