Preparing for a Second Hundred Years of Caring for Kids

The world, and our health care system, are very different places than they were 100 years ago, when Shriners Children’s first opened its doors. In order to continue to provide what we are known for – always putting our patients first and providing compassionate, innovative care that improves the quality of life for children and their families – we must continue to adapt to the ever-changing health care industry.

Modifying Hospitals to Meet Expectations and Reach More Kids

Because the majority of pediatric medical procedures are now performed in an outpatient setting, we continue to modify our hospitals, where appropriate, making them outpatient centers through a variety of community-centered models. And we continue to strive to reach as many kids as possible who need our special brand of life-changing, compassionate care – wherever they may live.

Increasing Our Numbers and Extending Our Reach

Through this emphasis on outreach and outpatient care, we are, in fact, caring for more kids than ever before. Prior to the pandemic, Shriners Children’s averaged a 2.5% growth rate in patients seen year over year. Over the last 10 years, Shriners Children’s has experienced a 26% growth in patients seen. Most importantly, 2021 encounters exceeded 400,000, the most in our history.

We will continue stressing the need to have fewer brick-and-mortar traditional hospitals, which are extremely expensive to operate, while focusing on creating a cohesive network of ambulatory surgery centers and clinics supported by a range of collaborations and affiliations with other community health care providers. We will also continue to refine and emphasize our telehealth efforts, including offering more “at home” visits, especially via cell phone technology.

These points: changing our method of care delivery, being more convenient for families, operating efficiently, and reaching more kids, are the heart of Shriners Children’s goals for the future.

While much is changing, our dedication and commitment to the mission of Shriners Hospitals for Children, and to always putting our patients first remains the same, as we to look to the future with hope and confidence.