FALL 2015

Inside this IssueHolidays at the Hospital ...................... 2

Radiothon a Big Hit ................................ 2

New Cardiovascular Care Center Opens ................................................................. 3

Play Games, Heal Kids......................... 3

Chico’s FAS Call to Action ................ 3

May Was for Miracles ............................ 3

Did You Know ............................................. .4

About Connecticut Children’s......... 4

Welcome to Miracle Makers! Welcome to the second issue of Miracle Makers, a biannual publication of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Foundation, prepared especially for our Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals friends. Read on to learn more about upcoming events, hospital information, campaign highlights and more!

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center is a proud member of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals helps to raise funds and awareness for 170 children’s hospitals across North America, helping more than 17 million kids each year. Funds generated through this organization stay in the local community in which they are given.

For more information, please visit www.cmnhospitals.org.

F r o m C o n n e c t i c u t C h i l d r e n ’ s M e d i c a l C e n t e r F o u n d a t i o n

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Names New President & CEO

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center’s Board of Directors named James E. Shmerling, D.H.A., as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of Connecticut Children’s Medical

Center. Dr. Shmerling assumed his responsibilities on November 2, 2015.

For the past seven years, Dr. Shmerling served as the President and Chief Executive Officer at Children’s Hospital Colorado. During his time in that position, he directed successful efforts to renegotiate a joint-operating agreement between Children’s Hospital and The University of Colorado, implemented an integrated health record system, relocated the hospital

to a new campus and increased the hospital’s endowment, which grew from $250 million to $780 million during his tenure.

Additionally, he is a current member and a past chairman of the Board of Trustees for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals nationally.

“We are very excited to bring such a well-regarded administrative leader in pediatrics to Connecticut Children’s and our region,” said Robert M. Le Blanc, Connecticut Children’s Board Member and chair of the search committee. “We look forward to having Jim’s experience and expertise propel us further toward our vision to make Connecticut’s children the healthiest in the country.”

Dr. Shmerling replaces Martin J. Gavin, Connecticut Children’s former President and Chief Executive Officer, who announced his retirement earlier this year.

James E. Shmerling

“Band Together for Kids” This Season November 16 through December 31, the Hartford / New Haven community is invited to “Band Together for Kids” receiving treatment at Connecticut Children’s. The holiday campaign celebrates individuals and groups uniting to support local kids while raising needed funds for the hospital.

Learn about the several options for the community to get involved at www.BandTogetherForKids.org. With a $5 per month or one-time $60

HOLIDAYS AT THE HOSPITAL: Santa stopped by the Craniofacial Unit last year to have a meet and greet with some of Connecticut Children’s patients, including Emma, pictured here. Learn more about Holidays at Connecticut Children’s on Page 2.15

-599 Continued on page 2.

2.

“Band Together for Kids” This Season, continued from page 1.donation, supporters will receive a kit including a holiday-edition Miracle Band, a red marker to personalize the Miracle Band in honor of a Miracle Child and a #BandTogetherForKids window sticker as a token of appreciation.

Supporters may also make a donation on behalf of others by “gifting” Band Together For Kids kits for a $10 donation. The donor will receive an e-mail

template with a thank you message and redemption code they may forward to their gift recipients. A recipient may then use the code to request his or her kit.

Virtual Support Online donors can also show their support virtually by uploading a profile photo to Facebook or image to Twitter and Instagram using #BandTogetherForKids. The photo

would show the supporter(s) with their arms slightly outstretched on either side so when the photos are placed side-by-side, supporters appear to be holding hands or “banding together.” To see the virtual community and learn more, visit BandTogetherForKids.org.

We hope you will help us spread the word about this exciting new opportunity.

Holidays at the Hospital: Activities GaloreThe holidays are everyone’s favorite time of the year. Being a patient or family of a child in the hospital during this time can be difficult. At Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, we work hard to make the holidays as fun as possible for everyone involved.

During the late fall and early winter months, we have many activities planned to celebrate a variety of holidays. For Thanksgiving, patients participate in festive art activities throughout the week leading up to the holiday. These include making decoupage

plates, weaving placemats, and creating turkeys out of miniature flowerpots.

For Hanukkah, children can decorate dreidels then use them to play the dreidel game. Additionally, they can decorate candle votive holders.

There are a variety of events in place to celebrate Christmas, including Christmas carolers strolling the halls and an annual visit from the Connecticut State Police, who will deliver a gift to each patient. Santa Claus also drops by to assure

patients that he knows where they are and brings a gift to each child and teen.

In addition, our Child Life staff transform into elves to assist Santa with stuffing stockings for all of

our patients who will celebrate Christmas in the hospital on Christmas morning. There are also art activities including Santa Claus and reindeer crafts, wreaths and Stars of Wonder.

For Kwanzaa, there will be a basket weaving activity. On New Year’s, patients can decorate noise-makers to ring in 2016 and they also can design their own 2016 calendar. And for the Three Kings Day, patients can decorate a box filled with raffia (instead of hay) and receive a small gift.

Throughout the holiday season and the entire year, Connecticut Children’s ArtReach Healing Arts Program offers a wide variety of therapeutic programs and activities to not only reduce stress, provide a sense of empowerment and increase self-esteem, but promote continued growth, development, and play! ArtReach uses the creative process to enhance the physical and emotional well-being of our patients and families.

Radiothon Raises $119,683 for Connecticut Children’s Connoisseur Media and Connecticut Children’s are proud to announce that the 2015 Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Radiothon raised $119,683! Connoisseur, a Connecticut-based media company, supports this worthy benefit for children.

The event was broadcast live on Thursday, Aug. 13th, from the One World Café at Connecticut Children’s in Hartford from 5:30 am to 7 pm. Chaz and AJ from the morning show on 102.9 The Whale and Brad Davis from The Talk of Connecticut hosted the event and shared inspiring patient care stories that reflect the incredible work that is accomplished each day at Connecticut Children’s.

A very special thank you to those Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

RADIOTHON: Pictured here with Martin Gavin (center), former President and CEO of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, are Pam, AJ, Chaz and Phil.

partners that volunteered with answering the phones at the event.

3.

Extra Life: Play Games, Heal Kids Extra Life is a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals fundraising program within the gaming community. Participants fundraise year round and pledge to game for 24 hours with one goal in mind: to save and improve the lives of sick and injured kids. Funds raised stay local to help pediatric

patients and their families at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Since 2008, Extra Life has raised more than $95,000 for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. The movement, formed by gamers bonded by passion, is committed to saving and improving the lives of local kids.

This year’s National Game Day was played on Nov. 7th, but you can do your 24-hour gaming marathon any day before Dec. 31st! Play games, heal kids and join the community today at www.extra-life.org.

New Cardiovascular Care Center Opens at Connecticut Children’s

Laurel Payzant, 22, a cardiology patient of Dr. Harris Leopold since birth, undergoes a recent exam in one of the new patient exam rooms. (Photo Credit: Michael McCarter)

Thanks to a generous outpouring of donor support, Connecticut Children’s opened its new Cardiovascular Care Center in late August, streamlining services for patients and families.

The Vincent J. Dowling Family Cardiovascular Care Center, located on the second floor of the Medical Center in its former expanded location, serves Cardiology patients ranging from premature infants to adults with congenital heart defects.

Convenient Care According to Harris Leopold, MD, director of Cardiology at Connecticut Children’s, the new multi-million dollar Center was designed to streamline services and provide convenient care for patients and families. “We wanted patients to be seen by a doctor, to have an electrocardiogram (EKG), get an echocardiogram (Echo) if they need one, and get their results all in one visit.”

By being able to accommodate multiple procedures in one visit, it eliminates the need for families to schedule multiple follow-up appointments, he explained.

New Features The Center features four “pods,” each equipped with two patient exam rooms, an Echo Lab and easy access to one of three Vitals Rooms. The pod design enhances patient privacy as patients move from room to room within the pods.

In addition, the new Center features a redesigned Waiting Room, Care Team Consultation Room, Family Consultation Room, Stress Lab, Echo Reading Room, and Multimedia Room.

More Space “The Vincent J. Dowling Family Cardiovascular Care Center provides considerably more space for the Cardiology clinic and noninvasive imaging, such as Echo and stress testing,” said Paul Kirshbom, MD, chief of Pediatric Cardiac

Surgery. “The office space is essentially the same, but it brings everybody into the same work area, which is nice.”

In addition to the three-member surgical team, there are currently eight cardiologists on staff to meet the needs of Connecticut Children’s pediatric patients and its growing adult congenital heart patient program.

May Was for Miracles!This past May was a very exciting and special time in the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals world. Throughout the month, local Chico’s, Costco, Sam’s Club, Soma, Walmart, Walmart Neighborhood Markets, Walmart Supercenters and White House | Black Market locations all

participated in campaigns to help raise funds for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Thank you all for your support in helping Connecticut Children’s make miracles happen $1 at a time!

In addition, with our Rite Aid and IHOP spring campaigns, our corporate partners have raised more than $531,000 throughout the spring for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Stop by your nearest Chico’s, White House|Black Market or Soma locations to support Connecticut Children’s Medical Center through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Chico’s FAS started

Chico’s FAS: Call to Actiontheir annual holiday campaign on Nov. 1 this year and will continue until Dec. 31. There are 19 participating Chico’s FAS locations throughout the state that raise funds for Connecticut Children’s. Chico’s

FAS has been a proud supporter of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals for the past four years.

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center is the region’s only academic medical center dedicated exclusively to children. We are committed to providing the highest level of care to the most children possible, as close to

home as possible.

Funds raised through the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals partnerships ensure that all children, from infants

to adolescents, receive the highly specialized medical and surgical services that define Connecticut Children’s. From neurosurgery, to oncology, to orthopaedics and everything in between, our talented pediatric subspecialists treat even the most complex problems in state-of-the-art facilities that are designed especially for kids.

A comprehensive array of pediatric services are available at our hospitals in Hartford and Waterbury, with neonatal intensive care units in Hartford (Level 4) and the University of Connecticut

Health Center (Level 3), along with our Ambulatory Surgery Center in Farmington, five specialty care centers and 10 practices across the

state and in Massachusetts. Our Level 1-certified Pediatric Trauma Center and Primary Care Center are both considered the busiest active

programs between Boston and New York.

Thank you for all that you are doing to help us give children the care they deserve.

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center282 Washington Street Hartford, CT 06106

NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDHARTFORD, CT

PERMIT NO. 3745

Miracle Makers is a biannual publication of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Foundation, prepared especially for our friends of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. To be added to or removed from our mailing list, please contact Scott Organek, director of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at Connecticut Children’s, at sorgane@connecticutchildrens.org. Visit us at www.conneticutchildrensfoundation.org.

NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTORS: Marissa Troiano, Writer • Sharon Napolitano, Editor • Ed Jalinskas, Creative Services

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center