HONOLULU — Pediatric burn care at the Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children will improve due to a $25,000 grant from the Kiwanis Cal-Nev-Ha. Burns are the second leading cause of pediatric trauma injuries and emergency room visits in
HONOLULU — Pediatric burn care at the Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children will improve due to a $25,000 grant from the Kiwanis Cal-Nev-Ha.
Burns are the second leading cause of pediatric trauma injuries and emergency room visits in Hawai‘i, states a Kapi‘olani release.
Injuries from burns are the most painful and devastating injuries a person can sustain. A child’s skin is thinner and more delicate than an adult’s, resulting in the need for pediatric specialty treatment of these critical injuries.
“Community support is critical to all of us and this gift will allow us to expedite and facilitate care to children,” said Martha Smith, Kapi‘olani Medical Center Chief Operating Officer, in the release. “With a coordinated pediatric burn program, Hawai‘i’s young patients will receive the specialized care they need — right here at home.”
The Kiwanis’ contribution will be used to develop the state’s first education program for pediatric burn care, offering critical additional training and education for physicians, nurses, and rehabilitative staff at Kapi‘olani Medical Center as well as community outreach, training and education to other hospitals and facilities throughout the state.
The new program will improve and enhance care for Hawai‘i’s pediatric burn patients.
Kapi‘olani Medical Center, Hawai‘i’s only Children’s Miracle Network hospital, is Hawai‘i’s only pediatric tertiary care center and the Pediatric Specialty Resource Hospital for Hawai‘i Statewide Trauma System.
Kiwanis International Hawai‘i has provided support to Kapi‘olani Medical Center through the Kapi‘olani Children’s Miracle Network since 1998.
Since Kiwanis arrived on the West Coast in 1917, Kiwanis members of California, Nevada and Hawai‘i have been making a positive impact on the communities and people around them, the release states.
Each year, Kiwanis of the Cal-Nev-Ha District of Kiwanis International are given the opportunity to support a project selected by the governor’s spouse. The 2011-12 First Lady, Cheryl Olmstead, selected the Kiwanis Cal-Nev-Ha Foundation’s Pediatric Trauma Program and its partner hospitals as her focus.
The Foundation’s PTP is designed to promote awareness of steps which can be taken to prevent unintentional injuries, and to provide training and equipment to medical personnel so they can effectively treat children who suffer a traumatic injury.
The partner hospital is an important aspect of PTP.
Partnering with six children’s hospitals in Oakland, Loma Linda, San Diego, Madera, Honolulu and Reno, the foundation provides grant funding which enable the partner hospitals to offer advanced pediatric training for doctors, nurses and first responders, purchase specialized pediatric medical equipment and reach out to their communities with educational materials, safety equipment and information on childhood trauma prevention.
Kiwanis International was founded in 1915 in Detroit and has grown to become a global organizations of member of every age who are dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time.
There are currently 10 Kiwanis Clubs in the state of Hawai‘i, including one on Kaua‘i. Combined, they support two Kiwanis Kids clubs, five Builders Clubs, 22 Key Clubs, two Circle K clubs and one Aktion Club across the state.
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals raise funds for 170 children’s hospitals across the United States and Canada, which in turn provides support to member Children’s Miracle Network hospitals so the money can be used where it is needed the most.
Marked by the signature red-and-yellow icon balloon, Kapi‘olani Children’s Miracle Network has provided more than $9 million locally to help thousands of children and their families throughout the Pacific Region receive life-saving specialized pediatric care they deserve, right here at home, the release states.
Visit www.cmnhospitals.org for more information.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
