2008 Use of Funds
A dedicated, child-oriented environment…a team of highly skilled pediatric experts…and the very latest in pediatric medical technology…enable Children's Hospital to remain the region's leading pediatric referral center. Yet to stay on the cutting edge of medical technology and to meet the region's growing pediatric health care needs, each year Children's Hospital must purchase the most modern pediatric medical equipment.
The hospital would not be able to purchase necessary equipment without the continuous support of the East Tennessee community through fund-raising events such as the Fantasy of Trees. The proceeds raised from the Fantasy each year help Children's Hospital make a significant difference in young lives.
In fiscal year 2007, children in East Tennessee and surrounding states made almost 144,000 visits to East Tennessee Children's Hospital for a variety of health care concerns, from minor to major, from illnesses to injuries. During that fiscal year, children had more than 10,000 surgeries at Children's Hospital and the hospital's Children's West Surgery Center, while children were admitted to the hospital for various reasons nearly 7,000 times, and nearly 4,300 X-rays were taken with a portable X-ray unit. Whatever their reason for entering the hospital's doors and whatever departments they received services from, Children's Hospital's patients deserve the best care possible.
The proceeds from this year's Fantasy of Trees, which will be in the range of $300,000-$350,000, will help to purchase the following equipment and other needs for the hospital's inpatient units, Surgery and Radiology:
Stretchairs for Second and Third Floor inpatient units
these hydraulic wheelchairs can be converted into a stretcher. They are used for transporting larger patients who cannot sit or walk. One of Children's Hospital's inpatient nurse managers calls stretchairs “a miracle piece of equipment” because of their tremendous usefulness in the hospital setting.
Infusion Pumps for Second and Third Floor inpatient units and Inpatient Surgery
This pump is used for patients receiving antibiotics and other medications when they do not have running IV fluids. The pumps are portable, have “smart technology” that can help prevent dosing errors and can be used to transport patients without the need for a large IV pole because they are small enough to be hand-carried.
Ear Telescopes for Surgery
This fiber optic lens used in surgery can have a camera attached. A surgeon can look inside a child's ear to see abnormalities (such as if bones are in the proper position in the inner ear) and examine the tympanic membrane. The camera can take pictures for surgical documentation as well as for the surgeon to show the family when explaining the child's condition.
Bronchoscopes for Surgery
This flexible fiber optic lens allows a surgeon to look in a patient's trachea and bronchi. It can be used for suction; to remove foreign bodies; to take a biopsy; to look for abnormalities; and to remove thick secretions that form in the lungs of children with cystic fibrosis. It also can be attached to a camera for surgical documentation as well as for the surgeon to show the family when explaining the child's condition.
ENT Microscopes for Surgery
These microscopes allow surgeons to see in a patient's ear canal when inserting ear tubes. During ear tube surgery (a common procedure), the physician makes a small slit in the ear, cleans out any accumulated fluid, and then inserts the tube into the slit, all while using this ENT microscope to see. This equipment is also used for major ear cases such as reconstruction of the inner ear and cochlear implant for deaf/hearing-impaired children.
Portable Unit for Radiology
this mobile X-ray machine can be taken to patients wherever they are in the hospital. It is useful for patients who need X-rays but who are considered too sick to safely be taken to the Radiology Department. The portable unit is used in such areas as the Haslam Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the Scott M. Niswonger Emergency Department, inpatient floors and any other hospital location where it is needed.
In addition to the equipment listed above, Children's Hospital also plans to use some of the 2008 Fantasy of Trees proceeds to improve sleeping arrangements for parents in the hospital's patient rooms. This need has been identified by parents as an area where comfort can be enhanced at the hospital, and the Child/Family Centered Care Committee is making plans to meet this need. Children's Hospital recognizes that parents and caregivers need to be able to rest well while at our hospital to be able to best care for their sick or injured children.
The Giving Tree
Families will again have an opportunity at this year's Fantasy of Trees to give just a little something back to Children's Hospital for the holidays – and receive a recognition ornament for their tree at home to signify their holiday contribution. Small items like Popsicles for Emergency Department patients, diapers for premature infants, disposable medical supplies used hospital-wide to aid in keeping germs from spreading, toys and plush animals and batteries for toys in Children's Hospital playrooms will be available for families to "purchase" and show a sick child they care.
Fantasy of Trees visitors have frequently asked the event's organizers how else they can help Children's Hospital during the holidays, and beginning with the 2007 event, the Giving Tree provides a way for families to celebrate the spirit of giving during the holidays. At the 2008 event, Fantasy of Trees guests will be invited to make a cash donation of $5, $10 or $25, and Children's Hospital will purchase the needed items.
With the assistance of sponsor Regions Bank, this area allows Fantasy of Trees visitors an easy way to directly support children who are patients at Children's Hospital with small things that are needed for their recovery—and have a reminder of their contribution to take to their home for the holidays.
The Giving Tree at Fantasy of Trees will feature items in $5, $10 and $25 categories that are needed by Children's Hospital patients, including:
$5 "gifts"
- Popsicles for Emergency Department patients
- Batteries for toys in hospital playrooms
- "Weepee" diapers for premature infants
- Crayons and coloring books for all patients
- Children's books for all waiting areas
- New underwear and socks (all sizes) for emergency patient needs
- Individually wrapped foods and snacks (non-perishable) for family kitchens
- Flavored pacifiers for newborns throughout hospital units
- Disposable blood pressure cuffs for use throughout hospital (to reduce spread of infection)
- Toys for patients
$10 "gifts"
- Board games for hospital playrooms
- "Care bags" for parents of children in critical care units (bags include needed travel-size toiletries they didn't have time to bring from home)
- Phone cards for use by hospital patients to call relatives about their condition
- Children's pajamas (so patients can sleep in "their own" pajamas while in the hospital and then take home with them)
- New sweatpants and T-shirts (all sizes) for emergency family needs
- Disposable stethoscopes for use throughout the hospital to keep infections from spreading
- Hemostat scissors/cutters for use throughout the hospital, especially in surgery and in the Emergency Department
- Disposable instrument packages (to keep infections from spreading)
- Disposable heating pads (to keep infections from spreading)
- Plush animals or toys for patients
$25 "gifts"
- "Josh the Dog" plush animal and book sets for outpatient surgery patients
- Pizzas for oncology patients and their families (children with cancer and their families can't go out to a "regular" restaurant because of the possibility of infection)
- Gift cards for the Birthday Box for children who have to be in the hospital on their birthday
- Magazine subscriptions for waiting rooms
- Music CDs and movie DVDs (G, PG and PG-13 only) to use as gifts to patients during hospital stays (may be put in the Birthday Box)
- Hand-held electronic games for "loan" to patients during hospital stays
For more details on the Giving Tree at this year's Fantasy of Trees event, call the Children's Hospital Community Relations Office at (865) 541-8166.
