From frat house to family home

Construction is underway to turn a one-time fraternity house into affordable housing for out-of-area patient families during extended hospitalizations. Just blocks away from the hospital, 241 Kent Street features 21 bedrooms, a dining area, a playroom and space for staff—almost doubling Children's patient housing capacity. The Next Generation Developers Task Force, a group of young real estate developers led by Douglass Karp, aims to raise $10 million for the project and an endowment to give more families a comforting place to stay without financial worries.

Celebrating national Scoliosis Awareness Month

In June, 19-year-old author Elizabeth Golden visited patients in the Spine Clinic and signed copies of her recently published book about her battle with scoliosis, When Life Throws You a Curve. Accompanying her were the president of the National Scoliosis Foundation, Joseph O'Brien, and her grandmother, Frances Jacobsen, who was treated for scoliosis at Children's in the 1940s.

Patients ahoy!

Sailors from the USS Bataan came to the hospital in July for the Caps for Kids program. During the sailors visit, they gave out hats and visited with children on four different floors.

Buckling down on car seat safety

Buckle Up, a child safety educational program, was presented to the Children's community by the Injury Prevention Program on June 26. There were hands-on car seat demos, and presentation topics included infants, toddlers and buckling up children with special health care needs.

Wired again!

Each year, Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, a publication by the American Hospital Association, surveys the nations hospitals to assess how they use information technology to develop better, safer and more efficient health care. This year marked the sixth time Children's has won the award—and the fourth year in a row.

Food Services appreciation day

The Food Services Department celebrated its employees hard work with a day devoted to employee appreciation. Henry Tomasuolo, vice president of Support Services, and members of the Sodexho leadership team showed their gratitude to the team by manning several different positions in the Café. The menu featured Indian cuisine from Sodexho guest chef Hari Nayak, author of Modern Indian Cooking, and the festivities concluded with a chef jacket giveaway for patients who participated in his cooking demonstration.