This document provides an overview of the Board of Directors, Medical Staff, Chiefs of Services, and Administration of East Tennessee Children's Hospital. It also includes two letters thanking the hospital for excellent care provided in the emergency room and during a daughter's outpatient surgery. Additionally, it summarizes recent events from Safe Kids Coalition and welcomes new medical staff members who joined in 2008. The main article describes the story of Tennessee's first surviving quintuplets who were born at the hospital five years ago and the care they received in the NICU.
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It's About Children - Spring 2009 Issue by East Tennessee Children's Hospital
1.
2. B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s
Dennis Ragsdale
Chairman
Jeffory Jennings, M.D.
Vice Chairman
Michael Crabtree
Secretary/Treasurer
Debbie Christiansen, M.D.
Dawn Ford
Keith D. Goodwin
Steven Harb
Lewis Harris, M.D.
Dee Haslam
A. David Martin
Dugan McLaughlin
Christopher Miller, M.D.
Steve South
Bill Terry, M.D.
Laurens Tullock
Danni Varlan
M e d i c a l S t a f f
John Buchheit, M.D.
Chief of Staff
Lise Christensen, M.D.
Vice Chief of Staff
Mark Cramolini, M.D.
Secretary
C h i e f s o f S e r v i c e s
Lori Patterson, M.D.
Chief of Medicine
Alfred P, Kennedy, Jr., M.D.
Chief of Surgery
A d m i n i s t r a t i o n
Keith D. Goodwin
President/CEO
Bob Koppel
President/CEO Emeritus
Bruce Anderson
Vice President for Legal Services & General Council
Laura Barnes, R.N., M.S.N., C.N.A.A.,B.C.
Vice President for Patient Care
Paul Bates
Vice President for Human Resources
Joe Childs, M.D.
Vice President for Medical Services
Zane Goodrich, CPA
Vice President for Finance & CFO
Rudy McKinley
Vice President for Operations
A quarterly publication of East Tennessee
Children’s Hospital, It’s About Children is designed
to inform the East Tennessee community about the
hospital and the patients we serve. East Tennessee
Children’s Hospital’s vision is Leading the Way to
Healthy Children. Children’s Hospital is a private,
independent, not-for-profit pediatric medical center
that has served the East Tennessee region for more
than 70 years and is certified by the state of Tennessee
as a Comprehensive Regional Pediatric Center.
Ellen Liston, APR, Fellow PRSA
Director of Community Relations
David Rule
Director of Development
Wendy Hames, APR
Editor
Neil Crosby
Contributing Photographer
“Because Children are Special…”
...they deserve the best possible health care given
in a positive, family-centered atmosphere of friendliness,
cooperation, and support - regardless
of race, religion, or ability to pay.”
...their medical needs are closely related to their
emotional and informational needs; therefore, the
total child must be considered in treating any illness
or injury.”
...their health care requires family involvement,
special understanding, special equipment, and
specially trained personnel who recognize that
children are not miniature adults.”
...their health care can best be provided by a facility
with a well-trained medical and hospital staff whose
only interests and concerns are with the total health and
well-being of infants, children, and adolescents.”
Statement of Philosophy
East Tennessee Children’s Hospital
www.etch.com2
On the cover: The Van Tol quintuplets are
5 years old. Read their story on pages 4-5.
“ D e a r C h i l d r e n ’ s ”
December 6, 2008
Dear Children’s Hospital,
I would like to extend a HUGE thank you to the staff atChildren’s Hospital’s Emergency Room. My son, Jonah, whois almost 21 months old, was scheduled for his first cochlearimplant with Dr. Little on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Keeping him fromgetting sick during the cold weather months is of the utmostimportance. Unfortunately, we had to get him in with Dr. Little atthe last minute yesterday. He developed bilateral ear infections,which would possibly derail the plans for his surgery the
following week, so we were sent to the ER to get his Rocephininjection yesterday afternoon. The staff was quick, kind and veryaccommodating. Unfortunately, I did not get any of their names.I do remember that one of the girls at the front was very sweet and got things movingpretty quickly. We got in and out in less than 2 hours, which is great for any ER. Jonah was due to have a second injection with his PCP this morning (Dec. 6). They had closed earlyyesterday so I had to call and see if he could get in at their urgent care clinic this morning. They couldn’twork him in and told us that he would have to go to the ER. I was honestly ready to fall to pieces. I wasfrustrated at the thought of bothering the ER staff because I thought they were probably plenty busy with itbeing a weekend and all. It wasn’t exactly life threatening, but it was a big deal to us. When we got to the ER a little before noon, I walked up to the desk and spoke with Ron C. I explained tohim that we had been there yesterday and that this was pretty important. He asked me to wait just a momentwhile he went to get the ER Admitting Secretary. He came back in just a couple of minutes and sent me backto room 3, where Fredia G. got all of our information in order very quickly and had us ready to go. I wentback to the front desk with all the paperwork and another very sweet young lady did a few things quickly andthen took us back to an ER room.
Once there, we met with a nurse named K.D., who was just beyond wonderful. I don’t know how anyonecan stand to have to give shots to kids; it takes a special person to be that strong. I couldn’t do it. She was fast,understanding and very loving. I don’t know what else I can say to explain how much this helps. The last fewmonths with the doctor’s appointments and the emotional part of dealing with Jonah’s deafness have beenreally hard on my son, myself, my husband and my family and friends. It’s never going to be easy for anyoneinvolved but just knowing how great everyone has been puts me and my family at ease. We knew he would bein good hands. Thank you so much!
Thanks,
The Fuston Family
Knoxville
December 8, 2008
Dear Children’s Hospital,
My 10-year-old daughter had Outpatient Surgery on her elbow
on November 18. I am a single mother and was at the hospital
alone. As you can imagine, I was a nervous wreck! The
employees at Children’s Hospital not only gave my daughter
excellent care but gave me moral support as well. The staff
ensured that both Ashley and I were comfortable. I don’t know how I would
have made it through her surgery without the support of the employees and
volunteers! You will never know how much you helped me “emotionally”
through her surgery!
Thanks,
Zena Yank and Family
Knoxville
Jonah Fuston
Ashley Yank
3. 3
Safe Kids of the Greater Knox Area,
along with lead organization Children’s
Hospital, has been involved in a number
of recent child safety events.
The mission of the local Safe Kids
coalition is to reduce unintentional injuries
in children up to age 14 in the East
Tennessee region by promoting awareness
and implementing prevention initiatives.
The local Safe Kids is part of Safe Kids
Worldwide, a network of coalitions whose
primary purpose is to prevent unintentional
injuries in children by providing children
and adults caring for them with information
about how to stay safe.
The following are some of the events
Safe Kids has recently participated in:
Boys & Girls Club
Healthy Life Choices Carnival
Safe Kids of the Greater Knox Area
coordinated with Blue Cross Blue Shield
to address pedestrian and wheeled sports
safety at the Healthy Life Choices Carnival
in October. Six hundred students ranging
from 6-14 years old attended the event at the
Halls/Powell Boys & Girls Club. Children
rotated through several stations during
the event, including the Safe Kids area.
Children learned the proper use of helmets
and participated in demonstrations to show
the difference in response time between
walking and wheeled activities, such as
rollerblading.
Ollie the Otter Presentation
at Norwood Elementary School
Safe Kids of the Greater Knox
Area partnered with Anderson County
Coordinated School Health to present
Ollie the Otter, Tennessee’s mascot
for booster seat usage, at Norwood
Elementary School in December. Ollie the
Otter’s child booster seat safety program
teaches children about Tennessee’s child
booster seat laws in a fun and interactive
way. Teachers chose students at random
to be measured with a “measuring stick”
that shows their height, and the rest of
the student audience determines whether
the person’s height meets the booster seat
requirement of 4 feet, 9 inches or shorter.
Each child received information about
the car seat/booster seat law, as well as
information about the common mistakes
to avoid when using child restraint seats.
by Logan Clark, student intern
2008 Fantasy of Trees raises
$320,000 for Children’s Hospital
2008 Fantasy of Trees raises
$320,000 for Children’s Hospital The 24th
annual Fantasy of Trees fundraiser kicked off the Knoxvilleholiday season in November with the entertaining theme of “There’s NoBusiness Like SNOW Business.” The successful event raised more than$335,000 for Children’s Hospital that will be used to purchase equipment forthe Surgery and Radiology departments, including a portable X-ray machineand hydraulic wheelchairs that convert into stretchers. Nearly 55,000 guests visited this festive holiday wonderland at theKnoxville Convention Center. The event showcased hundreds of designer treesand decorations, a Gingerbread Village, children’s activities and entertainmentfor all ages at the Fantasy Theater. Other attractions included visits with Santa,carousel rides, holiday shops and the Babes in Toyland Parade. More than 10,000 volunteers contributed 157,000 hours to make the 2008Fantasy of Trees a success. Children’s Hospital extends its sincerest gratitude toall visitors and volunteers for their support. Fantasy of Trees has welcomed more than 1 million guests and has raisednearly $5 million for Children’s Hospital since it began in 1985.
by Logan Clark, student intern
Children’s Hospital is pleased to welcome the
expertise of the following new medical staff members,
who joined our staff in 2008:
Michael Adler, M.D., Radiology•
Sheri Armstrong, M.D., Radiology•
Marc Vincent Courts, M.D., Pediatrics•
Jay Crawford, M.D., Pediatric Orthopedics•
Turner Emery, D.D.S., Oral Maxillofacial Surgery•
Brock Evans, D.M.D., Oral Maxillofacial Surgery•
Ju Haq, M.D., Pathology•
Evon Hulse, D.D.S., General Dentistry•
Robert Keeton, M.D., Allergy Immunology•
Zachary Lewis, M.D., Pathology•
Mark McClinton, M.D., Otolaryngology•
Debra McGill, M.D., Pathology•
Robert Noel, M.D., Pediatric Gastroenterology•
Heather Philips, D.O., Pediatric Anesthesiology•
Todd Pillion, M.D., Pediatric Dentistry•
Timothy Ragsdale, M.D., Otolaryngology•
Richard Mark Ray, M.D., Pediatric Otolaryngology•
Jeffrey Brent Roaten, M.D., Pediatric Surgery•
Richard Schultz, M.D., Otolaryngology•
Charles Sewall, M.D., Otolaryngology•
Angela Smithey, M.D., Pediatrics•
Troy Tronsdon, D.D.S., Oral Maxillofacial•
Surgery
James Vinson, M.D., Pathology•
Rita Westbrook, M.D., Pediatric Emergency•
Medicine
by Christie Sithiphone, student intern
Safe Kids update
Hospital welcomes
new medical staff
4. Five years ago in January, Tennessee’s first set
of surviving quintuplets made their appearance.
Now those five children are active and healthy
five-year-olds, enjoying life and getting ready for
kindergarten this fall.
The quintuplets’ parents are Willem and
Shannon van Tol of Knoxville. “We learned that
we were having 5 at the first ultrasound at around
8 weeks,” Shannon said. “We were shocked and
had mixed emotions. We were thrilled that I was
pregnant and thrilled to be parents. However, we
were very concerned about the risks involved.”
Those risks were many:
• The only certainty with a quintuplet
pregnancy is that the babies will be
premature.
• The average length of a quintuplet pregnancy
is 27 weeks (normal gestation is 40 weeks).
• If they could reach 24 weeks, there would be
a chance the babies could live outside of the
womb, but they would need extensive medical
care and likely have disabilities.
• At 28 weeks, there was still a 10-percent
chance of long-term disabilities.
• The risk that some or all of the babies would
not survive was also quite high.
“‘Conventional medical wisdom’ was that
the outcome of the pregnancy would be more
successful for mother and children if we ‘reduced’
a couple of the babies,” Shannon said. “For
us, personally, reduction was not an option,
so we needed to decide where we would have
the babies.”
After Willem and Shannon received the
difficult statistics related to quintuplet pregnancy,
they visited the Haslam Family Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital.
“We met Dr. Steve Prinz [neonatologist], and
he showed us around the NICU,” Willem said.
“We had never been to a NICU and had never
seen such small, fragile babies struggling for life.
We were overwhelmed and teary-eyed by the end
of our tour. The tour helped us understand the
reality of the risks involved and how extremely
vulnerable our children
would be.”
The van Tols
chose Drs. Perry Roussis
and Gary Stephens,
perinatologists (high risk
pregnancy specialists) at
Fort Sanders Regional
Medical Center to
manage the pregnancy
and Children’s Hospital to take care of the babies
after they were born.
On January 14, 2004, Willem and Shannon
welcomed their five babies during a Cesarean
section at Fort Sanders. The birth took place
during Shannon’s 33rd week of pregnancy, after
she had been on bed rest for about eight weeks.
Willem Scott, Sean Connor, Isabella Marie,
Ashley Faith and Meghan Ann were born between
12:22 and 12:24 p.m. and weighed between 2
pounds, 8.8 ounces and 4 pounds, 0 ounces.
Among the 28 health care professionals
attending the delivery were five neonatologists,
five neonatal nurses and five respiratory therapists
from Children’s Hospital. They were on hand to
immediately provide neonatal care to the babies
and transport them to the NICU.
“We were blessed that we managed to make
it to 33 weeks’ gestation and that our kids were
born without major complications,” Shannon
said. “However, they were still extremely fragile
and required around-the-clock care. Two of them
had brief stints on ventilators, one had a lung
collapse, and another developed an infection. For
us as first-time parents, it was a roller-coaster
experience.”
Willem and Shannon said the NICU nurses
genuinely cared about the babies and enjoyed
taking care of them. Beth Hilbelink, Ann
Kennedy, Lisa Grover and MeLisa Davenport,
the rest of the nursing staff and Sheri Smith, then
the nurse manager of the NICU (now Nursing
Director for Critical Care Services), were
extremely helpful in preparing them to care for
the babies at home.
“In the hours that we could not be with our
babies during those first few weeks, we took great
comfort in knowing that they were in the care
of such knowledgeable and nurturing nurses,”
Willem said. “It is hard for us to imagine a more
caring or devoted group of nurses.
“In addition to the state-of-the-art medical
care and expertise you expect at a Level 3 NICU,
the doctors were accessible and eager to help us
understand the treatment each of our babies was
receiving,” Willem added.
Life at home
It is typical for a premature infant to remain
in the NICU until right around its due date. The
van Tols were due on March 1, but they were
discharged in stages, beginning just three weeks
after their birth. The bigger, stronger boys went
home first, on February 6. Isabella went home
February 9, and the other two girls went home
February 15.
Adjusting at home presented its own set of
challenges: for example, feeding 5 babies every
four hours around the clock. For the first several
months, they charted the feedings and diapers for
each baby.
“We have always been fairly private and
independent, so it was an adjustment for us to have
to rely on our family and friends to help care for
the babies,” Shannon said.
Friends at work (Willem works for the White
Stone Group and Shannon worked at Lewis, King,
Krieg Waldrop, PC), family, neighbors and
other friends helped with feedings, provided meals
and offered prayers. Adriance Guider, an Enfamil
representative, supplied formula by the truckload
delivered right to their house.
The babies did need some special care and
monitoring because of their prematurity. They
received shots to prevent respiratory syncytial
virus (RSV), had a few visits from Home Health
Care staff for monitor checks, were evaluated
through Children Hospital’s high risk clinic (but
none required any treatment or therapy) and had
their vision checked (it is normal).
As they have grown
The family has experienced different
challenges with each stage of the children’s lives.
“With the baby stage, the biggest challenge was
providing total care for each of them – feeding
every four hours, baths, diapers, laundry,”
Shannon said.
When they were toddlers seeking to explore
and be independent, the biggest challenges were
keeping them safe and teaching boundaries.
“Though we still worry about their safety and
they still test boundaries, preschool is a great stage
because we can communicate so much better with
them,” Willem said. “They have become quite
articulate at expressing themselves, and they can
understand everything we tell them. They are so
inquisitive and eager to learn about everything.
The biggest challenges at the preschool stage are
keeping them busy and challenged and having the
energy to keep up with them.”
The van Tols believe a key challenge at
all stages is focusing on the children as five
individuals. Although they may go through various
stages at the same time, each child has a different
personality and perspective, and each requires
individual attention. The van Tols are grateful for
that challenge every day and are “forever grateful”
to Children’s Hospital for caring for Willem, Sean,
Isabella, Ashley and Meghan.
4
The 5 turn 5
Willem and Shannon van Tol with their newborn
quintuplets – Willem Scott, Sean Connor, Isabella Marie,
Ashley Faith and Meghan Ann (left to right in birth order)
– at Children’s Hospital in January 2004.
5. 5
Personality –• gregarious, confident,
competitive, persistent and persuasive
Favorite color• – blue
Favorite food• – potatoes
Favorite movie• – Snoopy
Favorite song• – Jingle Bells
Favorite game –• foosball
Favorite preschool activity• – painting
Hero• – Sean
Likes• – cars and motorcycles and anything outside
Dislikes –• naptime and “tasting grease and slime”
What I do for fun• – bike, skateboard and color
The best thing about being a kid• – get to do
special things
Childhood dream/what I want to be•
when I grow up – engineer
Personality –• thoughtful, independent, spirited
and loves to help
Favorite color –• pink
Favorite food –• pineapples
Favorite movie –• Snoopy and Woodstock
Favorite song –• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Favorite game –• computer games
Favorite preschool activity –• making crafts
Hero –• Ms. Nancy (preschool teacher)
Likes –• princesses and chocolate
Dislikes –• naptime and “sitting in time out”
What I do for fun –• write, slide, swing, bike
and swim
The best thing about being a kid –• “You play
and not do bad stuff”
Childhood dream/what I want to be•
when I grow up – Sleeping Beauty
Personality –• outgoing, playful, considerate
and entertaining
Favorite color• – purple
Favorite food• – macaroni and cheese
Favorite movie• – Tom Jerry
Favorite song• – Love Blowing Down
Favorite game –• computer game
Favorite preschool activity• – make jewelry
Hero• – Mom
Likes• – “I like being lovable.”
Dislikes –• “I don’t like being bad to other people.”
What I do for fun• – sing, dance and play with
babies
What’s the best thing about being a kid• –
hugging
Childhood dream/what I want to be•
when I grow up – dancer or a doctor
Personality –• imaginative, creative, articulate,
organized and cautious
Favorite color• – green
Favorite food• – macaroni and cheese
Favorite movie• – Horton Hears a Who
Favorite song• – Away in a Manger
Favorite game –• Charades
Favorite preschool activity• – write
Hero• – Sean
Likes –• princesses and fairies and books
Dislikes –• naptime at preschool
What I do for fun• – arts and crafts, playing dress-up,
swimming, biking, roller skating and skateboarding
The best thing about being a kid• – playing
Childhood dream/what I want to be•
when I grow up – painter
Personality –• tender-hearted, patient, easy-going,
energetic and fun-loving
Favorite color• – red
Favorite food• – macaroni and cheese
Favorite movie• – Snoopy
Favorite song• – Puff the Magic Dragon
Favorite game –• Candy Land
Favorite preschool activity• – play with two friends
named Collin
Hero• – Willem
Likes• – smiley faces, skateboarding and sand
Dislikes –• naptime and teasing, especially Isabella
drawing on other people’s art
What I do for fun• – computer games, foosball without
keeping score, bike, play super hero and bad guys with
Willem
The best thing about being a kid• – playing
Childhood dream/what I want to be•
when I grow up – builder
6. Subspecialist ProfilesSubspecialist Profiles
Dr. Hopp wants to guide children on a path to
healthy adulthood
The rise in childhood obesity is commonly in the
news these days, and with good reason. Overweight
children frequently have high blood pressure,
and they experience many negative side effects
throughout their lifetimes.
Laszlo Hopp, M.D., a pediatric nephrologist
who joined the Children’s Hospital Medical Staff
in January, has a special interest in childhood
hypertension. He hopes to help his young patients
start on the path to a healthy adulthood. He wants to
get them on the right track to avoid serious problems
such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and to
encourage healthy eating and exercise.
“I love children, and that was my main
reason for entering pediatrics,” Dr. Hopp said. “Of
course that is true for 99 percent of pediatricians.
I completed a hypertension research fellowship
between 1982-84 with a pediatric nephrologist in
New Jersey. That was my inspiration that led to my
interest in this field.”
As a pediatric nephrologist, Dr. Hopp is an
expert in the care and management of patients
with kidney problems. Besides the traditional
kidney problems, a large number of his patients are
referred to him because of high blood pressure. It
is increasingly recognized that pediatric high blood
pressure is quite harmful to children’s health.
High blood pressure in children was long
thought to be caused by hidden kidney disease.
However, “more and more we see that it is genetic,”
Dr. Hopp said. “But it can also come from kidney
problems, which is why nephrologists are involved in
the child’s care.”
Other common conditions he treats include
urinary tract infections, kidney failure, kidney
dysplasia and hyperplasia (kidney abnormalities
that develop before birth), proteinuria (protein
in the urine), hematuria (blood in the urine), and
glomerulonephritis (an inflammation of the kidney).
Dr. Hopp also provides management of care for
children needing dialysis and for those requiring
kidney transplants.
Describing dialysis as a machine that functions
as an artificial kidney, Dr. Hopp said improvements
Laszlo Hopp, M.D.
M.D. –• Semmelweis Medical School,
Budapest, Hungary, 1977
Rotating Internship –• Semmelweis
Medical School, 1977
Residency (Pediatrics) –• University of
Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey,
Newark, 1986-88
Fellowship (Pediatric Nephrology) –•
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New
York City, 1988-91
Experience• – Children’s Hospital of
Pittsburgh (1991-94), University of
Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
(1994-96), Nemours Children’s Hospital
in Delaware (1996-2006), Greeneville
Hospital System (2006-09).
Family• – wife, Evelyn Hopp, a case
management nurse; and children, daughter
Timea (20-year-old college student) and
Daniel (17-year-old high school student)
Personal Interests –• photography
(his major pastime), fine arts, reading,
watching old black and white movies,
all kinds of music (including bluegrass)
and the outdoors (especially the Smoky
Mountains)
in kidney transplantation and kidney dialysis
are the biggest advances in both general and
pediatric nephrology.
Nephrologists such as Dr. Hopp are not
surgeons – they provide only medical care
to their patients. This can include supportive
care and pre- and post-operative care for
kidney transplant patients. Nephrologists also
help patients to get “the most mileage” out of
failing kidneys before referring the patients
for transplantation. For patients requiring a
kidney transplant, nephrologists will help
with management, including monitoring anti-
rejection drugs to help keep the patient’s new
kidney functioning.
One of the biggest challenges Dr. Hopp
sees in his practice relates to patients with high
blood pressure and to certain types of kidney
disease that “don’t hurt” and can be diagnosed
only with laboratory tests. In fact, high blood
pressure is sometimes referred to as “the silent
killer” because other than the high reading on
a blood pressure monitor, patients typically
do not show any other symptoms. Sometimes
parents and patients don’t take the child’s
condition seriously enough because it seems to
be a minor problem.
“That’s one of the more critical and
troublesome challenges. Just because it
doesn’t hurt doesn’t mean it’s not a problem,”
Dr. Hopp said. “So sometimes there are
compliance issues with patients or parents. The
child’s problem can seem fairly innocuous, and
so the patient thinks he or she is fine.”
Dr. Hopp, who most recently practiced in
Greeneville, S.C., came to East Tennessee in
search of a different and “more progressive”
pediatric nephrology program. He and his wife
are looking forward to making the most of
their close proximity to the Smoky Mountains.
At the same time, Children’s Hospital is
looking forward to working with Dr. Hopp to
enhance care for children living in the East
Tennessee region with high blood pressure,
kidney disease and other related health issues.
Laszlo Hopp, M.D.
6
7. enjoy performing the surgery, which offers a
relatively quick solution to many deformities,”
he explained.
During his pediatric otolaryngology
fellowship at Arkansas Children’s Hospital,
Dr. Ray participated in training that was heavily
weighted toward cleft lip and palate repair. He
was involved in the care of hundreds of cleft
patients while he served as co-director of the
cleft team. Two years of specialty training in
pediatric facial plastic surgery qualifies him
to care for routine as well as very difficult
problems these patients face.
Also during his fellowship, he worked
extensively treating facial vascular
malformations and hemangiomas (two types
of birth marks) while studying all other aspects
of pediatric otolaryngology. Dr. Ray believes
in proactive treatment of hemangiomas. “These
lesions may be watched for years, when early
surgery and/or laser therapy could easily treat
them,” he said. “Some physicians have the
philosophy to ‘wait five years and it will go
away.’ But many do not go away, and it can
destroy normal tissue, including cartilage, in
the process.”
As a pediatric ENT, Dr. Ray treats the full
spectrum of ear, nose and throat conditions
in children, such as obstructive sleep apnea,
surgery to implant tubes in the ears, facial
trauma and small jaws.
Dr. Ray has developed skills in a procedure
called mandibular distraction to stimulate
growth in the mandible in patients with
a small jaw. Commonly caused by Pierre
Robin Sequence, a disorder with a small jaw
accompanied by the patient’s tongue pushed too
far back in the throat and a cleft palate, these
patients often have difficulty breathing and
feeding, historically requiring a tracheostomy
and a feeding tube for two to three years. The
use of mandibular distraction can eliminate the
need for the tracheostomy and a feeding tube.
The procedure has been done for ten years in
the general population but has only been in use
for newborns for the past 8-10 years, and few
surgeons are trained in it.
“It will become the gold standard treatment
for many patients as more surgeons begin to
perform it,” he said. Preventing a tracheostomy
and feeding tube can have a major impact on
early development for these patients.
R. Mark Ray, M.D.
• M.D. – Wake Forest University School of
Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C., 1997
Internship (General Surgery) –• University of
California at Davis, Sacramento, Calif., 1997-98
Residency (Otolaryngology Head and Neck•
Surgery) – University of California at Davis,
1998-2002
Fellowship (Pediatric Otolaryngology) –•
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences/
Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock, Ark.,
2002-04
Experience –• formerly Pediatric
Otolaryngologist at Nemours Children’s Clinic,
Jacksonville, Fla.; Assistant Professor, Mayo
Clinic; and Co-Director, Cleft and Craniofacial
Team of Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
Family –• wife, Angel; and children, Savannah
(15), Amanda (13), Hudson (8), Sara (6) and
Tom (3)
Personal interests –• fly fishing, scuba diving,
U.S. history, landscaping and medical missions
work overseas
Pediatric otolaryngologist (ENT) brings
special skills to Children’s Hospital
An exposure to a large number of patients with
congenital facial anomalies (birth defects) such as
clefts and birthmarks led a new Children’s Hospital
pediatric subspecialist to his passion and the pursuit
of specialized skills.
“Children are a special patient population and
they deserve good care,” said Mark Ray, M.D.,
pediatric otolaryngologist. “They have their whole
lives ahead of them. What attracted me to this
specialty is the opportunity to improve a child’s life
early on.”
Dr. Ray joined Pediatric Otolaryngology-Head
and Neck Surgery, PLLC, in January, bringing
specialized experience in cleft surgeries to this
growing practice. “I have seen a lot of cleft
patients in the United States and abroad, and I
But his biggest interest remains cleft
lip and palates, one of the more common
birth defects. About 1 in every 800 children
is born with some form of cleft lip and/or
palate, ranging from mild to severe. The rate
is higher, closer to 1 in 600 children, among
Native American and Latin American Indian
populations.
Dr. Ray travels abroad once a year to
participate in medical missions work. He
has directed surgical outreach teams to the
West Bank, China, South America and the
Philippines, returning most frequently to the
West Bank, a Middle East territory occupied by
Israel on the west bank of the Jordan River.
“We see kids who do not have care
available, including older kids who come in
who have never had their clefts repaired,”
Dr. Ray said. “The ideal window for repair is
infancy, so for these older kids, the cleft and
the surgery are more challenging.”
The problem of clefts in older children is
three-fold. First, the child’s social framework
is marred by ridicule and perhaps by not
being accepted by peers -- Dr. Ray once
treated a 12-year-old girl in the Philippines
who had been kept out of school and hidden
away simply because of her cleft lip. Second,
speaking and eating patterns are established
early, so children with clefts develop
compensatory speech patterns that are difficult
to undo and reverse. And third, the patient’s
tissue is much more primed for healing during
the first year of life.
During a mission trip to China, Dr. Ray
met Tom, a baby with a cleft. He operated on
the little boy and then adopted him. Tom, who
is now three years old, joined the Ray family
about two years ago.
Dr. Ray is excited for the opportunity to
join a practice at Children’s Hospital. While he
was a medical student at Wake Forest, he met
Dr. John Little, who was at that time the chief
resident there, so their friendship goes back a
number of years. Dr. Little opened Pediatric
Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery in 2002
and recruited Dr. Michael Belmont in 2003.
Working together with Drs. Little and Belmont,
Dr. Ray is looking forward to the chance
to build a cleft and vascular malformation
program at Children’s Hospital to serve this
region’s children.
R. Mark Ray, M.D.
7
8. Sedation service marks
5 years at hospital
The Sedation Service at Children’s Hospital
recently passed two major milestones – five years
and 10,000 cases – as it moved last fall into a new,
dedicated suite on the hospital’s First Floor.
Patients requiring sedation for all types of tests and
procedures in Neurology, the Gastroenterology Lab,
Oncology and other areas of the hospital – basically
anything that can be done outside of a traditional
Operating Room – can be sedated in the new Sedation
Suite, which is staffed by sedation physicians and
nurses who have completed a certification in sedation.
In addition, the Sedation Service staff sedates patients
as needed for Radiology testing within the Radiology
Department.
“The key to the service is the team,” said Mick
Connors, M.D., medical director of the Sedation
Service. “Our goal is to improve access to safe
sedation.”
Patients may need sedation for a variety of reasons
– a test that requires them to remain completely still for
longer than an awake child could be still, or a difficult
or painful procedure that would be more easily tolerated
by a sedated patient. Dr. Connors said some examples
include a patient who needs
daily radiation oncology for
cancer, a child with special
needs who requires lab draws,
a young child who needs a
certain type of hearing test, or
a patient who needs an abscess
drained. Parents and patients
alike have expressed a great
appreciation for the benefits the
service provides to them during
difficult procedures and tests.
Sedation at Children’s Hospital
is highly monitored, and the
capability of this service at
the hospital is important to the
safety of this area’s children, according to Dr. Connors.
“We want to help area physicians be more aware of this
capability at Children’s Hospital,” he said. “It’s a safely
monitored alternative to at-home sedation, which is still
occasionally prescribed by doctors for their patients
who are scheduled for tests.”
Dr. Connors has a very personal interest in the
sedation service at Children’s Hospital. Before he was
born, an older brother died of cancer at age 5. While
he never knew the brother who died, he grew up in
a household that was forever affected by that loss. It
was a big influence on his decision to become the first
physician in his family – he wanted to help children
with cancer have an easier path to treatment.
“My mom said she was often waiting for someone
to come into my brother’s hospital room with a smile on
their face, but that didn’t happen much,” Dr. Connors
said. “So I try to help my patients have something to
smile about – besides helping them be comfortable, I
tell them bad jokes. Having this opportunity to help care
for children in a positive atmosphere is an awesome
responsibility for me.”
The sedation service is staffed by Drs. Connors,
Frances Craig, Bob Dickson and John Williams;
coordinator Laura Ellis; and nurses Karen Carson,
Wanda Dietz, Sandy Dutton, Kim Hill, Jeff Mayberry,
Carrie Millsaps and Nancy Timm.
8
Pulmonology a growing service
at Children’s Hospital
There is no question Children’s Hospital has grown tremendously in recently years. The
hospital staff has doubled in size in the past 15 years, the facilities have been substantially
expanded and patient visits have grown exponentially.
Part of the hospital’s growth can be traced to the addition of new pediatric subspecialties
and the expansion of existing subspecialties. One significant example is the Pediatric
Pulmonology Department.
Fifteen years ago, Dr. John Rogers was in solo practice in pediatric pulmonology at
Children’s Hospital. Today, the practice has three physicians (Rogers, who is Medical Director
of Respiratory Care at Children’s Hospital, has been joined in recent years by Eduardo Riff,
M.D., and Sterling Simpson, M.D.) and four nurse practitioners (Judy Marciel, Phil Noe,
Mary Miller and Erin Walker). The practice also has two respiratory therapists and several
registered nurses.
“There is an incredible need in this area,” Dr. Simpson said. “Pediatric pulmonology is
an under served population. Three physicians is just barely enough.”
The practice has grown from providing basic pediatric pulmonology services to
participating in the development of multiple subspecialty clinics and has expanded its offices
to also provide services in Upper East Tennessee. Currently the practice has about 5,000 total
patients. Much of the growth is because the practice has made an effort to better educate
primary care physicians of the services they offer and to help physicians know when patients
need a referral.
Patients are referred to the practice for many different types of problems: asthma, extreme
prematurity with lung disease, apnea, neuromuscular disorders such as muscular dystrophy,
profound neurodevelopmental delays, children with tracheotomies or on home ventilators,
cystic fibrosis, chronic lung disease of any type, sleep disorders, recurrent pneumonia, chronic
cough and breathing problems with exercise.
As the practice has grown, inpatient care for the practice’s patients has quadrupled. In
the warmer months, the practice has 10-20 of its patients hospitalized per month, while in the
colder months, that increases to 25-35 patients per month. The practice also performs 25-30
outpatient bronchoscopies each month at the hospital (a bronchoscopy is a procedure where a
physician examines the inside of a patient’s airway with an instrument called a bronchoscope).
The pediatric pulmonology staff works hand-in-hand with Children’s Hospital on the
Cystic Fibrosis Clinic, which follows about 150 children, including most CF patients from
upper East Tennessee. This clinic includes physicians, physical therapists, nutrition, social
work and respiratory care staff to serve children as well as young adults under age 24 with
CF. Through their work with the CF clinic, the staff members are involved in clinical research
trials for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. Dr. Rogers is the CF Center director.
Pulmonology staff members also take part in the hospital’s new Weight Management
Clinic, helping with the patients’ overall physical health. Overweight children often
experience pulmonary complications, such as asthma or obstructive sleep apnea, specifically
because of their weight.
Other clinics include:
Home ventilator patients (the practice manages all patients in this region on home vents)•
Infants on apnea monitors (generally newborns, especially premature infants requiring•
oxygen or babies with lung diseases)
Pediatric sleep medicine (Dr. Simpson and Noe are active in the promotion of this service•
to regional physicians, and the pulmonology office interprets about 450 of the Sleep
Lab’s sleep studies each year. Dr. Riff co-directs the Children’s Hospital Sleep Lab with
pediatric neurologist Chris Miller, M.D.)
Synagis (an immunization clinic for babies at risk of respiratory syncycial virus during•
the winter months). The Synagis clinic provides most of the Synagis vaccinations in East
Tennessee.
The practice also has branched out in a number of other areas. Staff recently began
performing pulmonary function testing in their office for some inpatients at the hospital to
help the hospital’s busy Pulmonary Function Lab accommodate patients in a more timely
manner.
“Our biggest asset is our relationship to Children’s Hospital,” Noe said. “Parents like that we
are located in the Medical Office Building at Children’s Hospital, and we like that the hospital
is offering tests and support services just across the street from our office.”
Pediatric pulmonology also has launched a Web site at www.pedslungs.com to provide a
resource for parent feedback, patient blogging and pulmonary health information.
Mick Connors, M.D.
9. Children’s NewsChildren’s News
Children’s Hospital’s
new vision statement is
“Leading the Way to Healthy
Children.” In this series in
It’s About Children magazine,
we are sharing with our
readers some of the many
ways we are “Leading the
Way.” Each article highlights
outstanding practices
by Children’s Hospital
departments – things that are,
although quite commonplace
at our pediatric medical center, actually rather
unique. This series highlights the exceptional work
done at Children’s Hospital and demonstrates how
the hospital is a great place to work.
Respiratory, nursing staff
create asthma booklet
Service Excellence and Family-Centered Care
are at the forefront of care at Children’s Hospital.
Recently, staff in two hospital departments made those
initiatives their focus when they began a project to
better educate patients with an increasingly common
but serious diagnosis – asthma. In the past 12 months,
Children’s Hospital had 2,023 total patient visits for
asthma, an average of more than five visits per day for
this single illness. Just over 400 of those visits were
Retiring physician honored
Longtime Children’s Hospital pediatric
orthopedic surgeon Bob Madigan, M.D., was
honored recently upon his retirement from the
Medical Staff.
During a recent meeting of the hospital’s Board
of Directors, a plaque in Dr. Madigan’s honor was
unveiled. The plaque is being placed on Fourth
Floor East (the Inpatient Surgery unit).
The plaque reads, “In recognition and
celebration of Robert R. Madigan, M.D., on
his retirement – December 2008. The Board of
Directors, Medical and Hospital Staffs recognize
his enduring commitment, devotion and skilled care
as a pediatric orthopedic surgeon to our hospital,
our vision and the children of this region. The
hospital family expresses its profound appreciation
to Dr. Madigan for his leadership and service to
the Medical Staff and the Board of Directors for
over three decades. Dr. Madigan was a member of
the Medical Staff from 1975-2008, serving as Chief
of Surgery, Vice Chief of Staff and Chief of Staff in
1993 and 1994. He also served on the hospital’s
Board of Directors from 1995-2006, chairing
the Quality Improvement and Strategic Planning
Committees and providing valuable guidance as
Vice Chairman for seven years.”
During the presentation, pediatric neurologist
Chris Miller, M.D., praised Dr. Madigan’s
dedication to the hospital and his willingness to
take on so much leadership of the Medical Staff.
“Dr. Madigan, more than anyone else I’ve
known here, recognized the importance of
nurturing medical staff leaders and went out of his
way to encourage and promote the involvement
of individuals he saw as being dedicated to the
development of a strong institution and a strong
medical staff,” Dr. Miller said. “As we move to
develop mechanisms to promote formal leadership
training, it would be wise to look to Dr. Madigan for
advice and wisdom in an area in which he has ample
expertise.”
Pediatrician Debbie Christiansen, M.D., with
Knoxville Pediatric Associates also spoke about
Dr. Madigan during the board meeting: “Reading a
‘Dr. Madigan dictation’ will most assuredly bring a
smile to your face or sometimes an out loud chuckle
as he describes the patient’s antics that resulted in a
need for orthopedic intervention,” Dr. Christiansen
said. “Through the tales of the aspiring NBA
superstars to the young lasses who chase boys, the
reader gets a glimpse of Bob’s wit. His thorough
evaluation, sound medical judgment and efficient
treatment inspired confidence for both referring
physicians and patient families which is unsurpassed
as he has cared for the orthopedic needs of children
in East Tennessee.
“Bob Madigan has been the type of individual
who leads by example,” she continued. “He listens
intently, does not make rash, impulsive comments,
and has the ability to look at situations from several
serious enough to require admission.
The Respiratory Care and Medical Nursing
Services Departments created a 24-page booklet
to use for asthma patient education. The books
are now being used throughout the hospital. In
the Emergency Department, for example, ED
physicians or respiratory therapists give the books
to asthma patients. The pulmonary clinical nurse
specialist or a respiratory therapist attempts to
make a room visit to all admitted patients to
discuss the contents of the book in detail and
answer any questions the family may have.
“Those visits often have a huge payoff for
all involved as we are able to let the family
get comfortable and discuss without feeling
rushed,” said Bob Yost, Respiratory Care
Coordinator. “The book’s design also seems to
invite someone to open and read it. I’ve been
surprised at how many family members have
done so before we visit.”
It is hoped the books can soon be made
available to Pediatric Pulmonology and
pediatrician practices to offer to their asthma
patients when appropriate. The books will
eventually also be provided at community and
school programs related to asthma. Initial grant
funding has been secured from the Will Rogers
Institute to fund printing of more booklets and
broaden the booklet’s distribution. The booklet
also is being translated into Spanish to benefit our
growing Spanish-speaking patient population.
The creation of the booklet puts
understandable and detailed information about
asthma right into the hands of patients and
parents. The booklets are written in a simple
question-and-answer format and include space in
the back for families to add notes or list questions.
“This has been a dream several years in the
making, and we are quite proud of how it’s turned
out. It is going well, and we have received a lot of
compliments on it,” said Casey Norris, pulmonary
clinical nurse specialist who educates patients in
the hospital and gives presentations outside the
hospital about asthma. “It’s a great resource, and
I’m hoping to be able to use the booklet at school
and community talks as well.”
Yost and Connie Meredith of Respiratory
Care and Norris of Medical Nursing Services
created the “Asthma QA” booklet. Susan
Clevenger in Community Relations served as the
booklet designer.
Leading the Way
9
angles, thus his
opinions are
respected by his
colleagues. It has
been a privilege to
work with him, and
hopefully I have
learned a thing
or two over the
years.”
Children’s
Hospital President/
CEO Emeritus
Bob Koppel, who
worked with Madigan
for 30 years, said, “In the history of every
organization, there are people who become known
as ‘difference makers’ – Dr. Bob Madigan has
unquestionably been one for Children’s Hospital.
“For more than three decades, his service as
a pediatric orthopedic surgeon to the children
of our region has been a beacon of hope for a
better tomorrow,” Koppel said. “His leadership
as a member of Children’s Hospital’s Medical
Staff and Board of Directors helped pave
the way for Children’s Hospital becoming a
nationally respected medical center for children.
His commitment and unwavering support of
Children’s Hospital have been exemplary and a
model for future leaders to follow.”
Bob Madigan, M.D.
Casey Norris, R.N., provides education on respiratory
illnesses to many Children’s Hospital patients.
10. 10
Goodrich promoted to Finance VP
Zane Goodrich, Controller for Children’s Hospital for the past 15 years, has
been promoted to Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer.
Goodrich replaces Becky Colker, who resigned in mid-2008. Goodrich has
twice served as interim CFO – first, during a medical leave for retired Vice
President Jim Pruitt a few years ago, and second, following Colker’s resignation
last year.
According to Children’s Hospital President/CEO Keith Goodwin, Goodrich’s
promotion to Vice President/CFO comes as a direct result of his performance
during his two terms as interim CFO.
“Zane has served Children’s Hospital with distinction for the past 15 years,
and his two terms as interim CFO have demonstrated that he is the right choice
for our new Vice President for Finance and CFO,” Goodwin said. “In each
[interim] situation, Zane has done a good job and added value to the senior
leadership team. His commitment to Children’s Hospital has never wavered, and
his willingness to tackle difficult issues has been commendable. We look forward
to working with Zane in his permanent
elevation to this new role.”
Goodrich will oversee all aspects of
Finance, Registration, the Billing Office,
Switchboard/Admitting, Payroll and Health
Information Management. He will also assume
board membership on Partners in Pediatrics
and the Children’s West Surgery Center.
Other areas where he will be involved include
managed care contracting, new ventures and
physician partnerships.
Having served as the interim CFO twice
and as the hospital’s controller for the past 15
years, Goodrich is well versed in the hospital’s
staff, finances and other operations. He said
the most important focus of his new role for the
immediate future will be the successful implementation of changes in TennCare,
Tennessee’s managed care insurance program for low-income residents (it
replaced Medicaid in Tennessee in 1993). The current weak state of the U.S.
economy – and its impact on the hospital – will also be a focus of his work.
TennCare is in the midst of the most significant program change in its
history, returning in some respects to the original program model of 1993. New
contracts for TennCare payments will require an emphasis on case management
and utilization review. “This will primarily affect how we get paid for inpatient
services,” Goodrich said.
“Also, as the economy has slowed down, we are seeing a general slowdown
just like everyone else,” Goodrich added. “We are getting paid less and paid
more slowly, so we’re having to react more quickly to these changes.”
Goodrich said some small changes will be made in the Financial Services
Department, including the promotion of longtime hospital Accounting Manager
Lesa Hawkins to replace Goodrich as Controller. “We will evaluate the
department, which is natural when the leadership changes,” he said. “As the new
controller, Lesa will have input as well.”
During his decade and a half at Children’s Hospital, Goodrich has seen
many changes. “Information Systems plays a much greater role now in
everything we do, not just finance – but in all areas of the hospital,” he said.
“We’re spending a lot more money in IS and are expecting financial returns more
there than in the past.
“And the size of the hospital workforce has more than doubled in 15 years,”
he added.
Goodrich, a certified public accountant, holds a bachelor’s degree in
accounting from East Tennessee State University and a master of accountancy
from the University of Tennessee. Before joining Children’s Hospital, he worked
for seven years at St. Mary’s Medical Center, first as Director of Internal Audit and
later as Director of Finance. Before joining St. Mary’s, he was an internal auditor
at TVA and was approached to start the Internal Audit Department at St. Mary’s.
Zane Goodrich
Dr. Brinkmann wins state award
Tennessee Emergency Medical Services
for Children Foundation (TN EMSC)
has selected Kevin Brinkmann, M.D., of
Children’s Hospital as the 2008 recipient of
the Joseph Weinberg, M.D., Leadership Award.
This award recognizes Dr. Brinkmann’s
dedication of long-standing service to the life
saving needs of the children of Tennessee
and support of the principles of the national
Emergency Medical Services for Children
program.
Dr. Brinkmann, a pediatric critical care
specialist at Children’s Hospital since 2004,
was appointed a member of the Department
of Health, Committee on Pediatric Emergency
Care (CoPEC) in 2005. CoPEC is an advisory
committee to the Board of Healthcare Facilities
and the state Emergency Medical Services Board, which recommends standards
for quality care of critically ill and injured children in Tennessee. Members of
this committee serve voluntarily as a public service without compensation.
As part of his duties, Dr. Brinkmann served as a member and chair of the
Standards Committee. Working with his colleagues, he coordinated and edited
a comprehensive revision of the rules and regulations that provide guidelines
for the preparedness to management of pediatric emergencies for all hospitals
and ambulance services in Tennessee. The original guidelines had been drafted
by CoPEC and accepted by the Tennessee Board of Licensing of Healthcare
Facilities in 1998. The revision drew upon the expertise of representatives from
the four children’s hospitals in the state, the Tennessee Hospital Association,
the Tennessee Ambulance Services Association, the Rural Health Association
of Tennessee, the state Parent-Teacher Association, the Tennessee Department
of Health and the Emergency Medical Services Board, as well as many
individuals.
Organizing, analyzing and formulating the input from these various sources
and ensuring the results were in agreement with all nationally recognized
standards was a process that took 18 months to complete and resulted in a
100-page document.
The Standards Committee, under Dr. Brinkmann’s leadership, is now
working on developing a standardized hospital transfer agreement for
pediatrics. Since not all hospitals in Tennessee have the capabilities to provide
highly complex medical and surgical services for rare pediatric conditions
and life-threatening illness, hospitals must have agreements in place for
transferring these patients to hospitals that provide these specialty services. The
administrative forms and requirements for transfer of medical information had
not been uniform across the state, so referring hospitals had a separate form
and transfer data requirements for each specialty hospital with which they had a
transfer agreement. Dr. Brinkmann and the Standards Committee of CoPEC are
bringing together the medical, administrative and legal counsel of the hospital
systems, and together with the Tennessee Hospital Association, are developing
a uniform transfer form for pediatrics for use across the state.
For these and other leading efforts to promote the best quality care of critically
ill and injured children in Tennessee, Dr. Brinkmann was awarded the TN EMSC
JosephWeinberg, M.D., LeadershipAward, namedinhonor of aformerChildren’s
Hospital Emergency Department physician, Dr. Joseph Weinberg, who spent the
latter part of his career at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital before his retirement.
Previous winners of the Weinberg award include Drs. Mick Connors and Joe
Childs, both of Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Brinkmann received his undergraduate degree from the University
of Tennessee at Chattanooga and his medical degree from the University of
Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. He completed a residency in
pediatrics and a fellowship in pediatric critical care at LeBonheur Children’s
Medical Center in Memphis.
Children’s NewsChildren’s News
Kevin Brinkmann, M.D.
11. 11
Children’s NewsChildren’s News
Hospital Web site features
expanded offerings
Have you visited the Children’s Hospital Web site recently? As part
of Children’s Hospital’s ongoing commitment to this region, the hospital
provides a wealth of free information on our Web site, www.etch.com.
We continue to provide the CarePages service to help families
stay in touch throughout the
difficulty of a child’s illness.
CarePages, an Internet-based
communications system, offers
an opportunity for families to
create simple web pages about
a sick or injured relative who is a patient at Children’s Hospital.
CarePages offers patient web pages that deliver emotional support
to Children’s Hospital patients and families by making it easy for them
to stay in touch during a hospital stay or any time the child is receiving
medical care. The service provides patient families with an easier way
to update relatives and friends without the need for repeated phone calls
or e-mails. CarePages also makes it possible for relatives and friends to
send messages of encouragement, giving the patient and family much
needed emotional support. A patient’s CarePage can be updated as often
as the family chooses, and guests to the page can see the updates about
the patient any time they access the family’s web page.
Children’s Hospital’s CarePages can be accessed through computers
in the hospital’s Family Resource Center, in a patient family’s home or
from any computer by visiting www.etch.com. CarePages are password-
protected, secure and comply with all patient privacy regulations. The
service is offered free to Children’s Hospital patient families, thanks to
funds raised by the annual Star 102.1 Radiothon.
Other site features:
Visit our Web site to subscribe to E-Kids News, a monthly email•
newsletter. In addition to news about Children’s Hospital and a
wealth of pediatric health news from KidsHealth, E-Kids News
features color, graphics and links to many topics. Subscribers can
also partially customize the newsletter, according to their children’s
ages and medical conditions. To subscribe, visit our Web site at
www.etch.com and look for “Newsletters” on the right side of the
page.
We also offer New Parent E-News, an emailed newsletter geared•
to expectant parents as well as parents of newborns. Also featuring
pediatric health information from KidsHealth, this newsletter comes
out weekly for expectant parents and monthly during a baby’s first
year. To subscribe, visit our Web site at www.etch.com and look for
“Newsletters” on the right side of the page.
KidsHealth, the provider of pediatric health information on the•
Children’s Hospital Web site, continues to expand its library of
articles, videos, interactive features
and Spanish-language information.
KidsHealth articles target three
specific audiences with age-
appropriate topics and language
– parents, kids (elementary age)
and teens. Visit the Children’s
Hospital Web site at www.etch.com
and click on the KidsHealth icon in the top right corner to enter this
informative section.
Safe Kids of the Greater Knox Area now has a presence on the•
Children’s Hospital Web site.
Children’s Hospital became lead
organization for the local Safe Kids
coalition in the summer of 2008.
Visit www.etch.com/safekids.cfm to
learn more about this organization
and its efforts to keep children safe
from accidental injury.
Pointer Sisters to take Center Stage for Children’s Hospital
The 17th annual “Center Stage” concert for Children’s Hospital will feature the legendary trio, The
Pointer Sisters. The concert will take place Saturday, April 18, at the Knoxville Convention Center.
The Pointer Sisters first began singing in their father’s church in West Oakland, Calif. Critics called
them “the most exciting thing to hit show business in years” when they first gained popularity and fame
during the early 1970s. Their debut album featured the single “Yes We Can, Can,” which landed at #11 on
Billboard magazine’s pop singles chart. Their follow-up album included a hit country-western song that
was their ticket to become the first black female group to perform at the Grand Old Opry. Another first for
the sisters came when they won their first Grammy Award in 1975 for the hit “Fairytale.”
While the 70s proved to be a decade of firsts for the Pointer Sisters, their success continued into the
80s. In 1983, they released their biggest selling album, “Break Out,” which was certified triple-platinum.
Their most popular songs include “I’m So Excited,” “Jump (For My Love),” “Neutron Dance,” “He’s So
Shy,” and “Slow Hand.”
The Pointer Sisters celebrated their 20th
year in the music
business in 1993 with the release of the album “Only Sisters
Can Do That,” and they received a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame.
The Center Stage benefit will begin with cocktails and
hors d’oeurvres, followed by dinner and the Pointer Sisters’
performance. A dance band will perform after the concert.
Patron, Benefactor and Corporate Supporter tables
are available at $10,000, $6,000 and $3,000, respectively.
Each table seats 10 guests, and if space allows, individual
tickets will be sold for $350. Contact Children’s Hospital’s
Development Department at (865) 541-8244 for more
information about purchasing tables or tickets.
The Center Stage concert series has generated more than
$2 million for Children’s Hospital since it began in 1993.
by Logan Clark, student intern
Grant to fund respiratory equipment purchase
Knoxville has been known as the #1 Asthma Capital, according to the Asthma and Allergy
Foundation of America, which has awarded the city this designation three times in the past five years. At
Children’s Hospital, asthma is the third most common diagnosis for admitted patients.
In the past year, nearly 360 children were admitted to Children’s Hospital with asthma as their
primary diagnosis, and 1,611 children were treated in the Emergency Department for asthma-related
illnesses. The East Tennessee Foundation is helping Children’s Hospital deal with the challenges of
asthma by awarding a generous grant to fund the purchase of some vital equipment for respiratory care
services at the hospital. The $30,000 grant is targeted for the purchase of cardiopulmonary stress testing
equipment for the hospital’s Pulmonary Function Lab to aid in diagnosis of asthma.
The East Tennessee Foundation’s funding came from its Respiratory Disease Fund. This fund
is derived from the earnings of the Shields/Jennings/Pierce/Hall memorial trusts, which are used
for purposes directly related to the diagnosis, research, treatment, education, prevention and cure of
respiratory diseases in Knox County.
“Children’s Hospital’s request for funding to purchase equipment to help in the diagnosis of asthma
and other respiratory-related illnesses is a great fit with the wishes of the donors,” said Terry L. Holley,
Senior Vice President for Programs and Regional Development for the foundation.
“Children’s Hospital provides services to children and families from all of the 25 counties the East
Tennessee Foundation serves,” Holley said. “With one or two children out of 10 having asthma or
needing some type of evaluation and treatment for respiratory illness, ETF believes the $30,000 grant to
purchase new diagnostic equipment is a wise investment.
“Children’s Hospital is highly regarded in the region as one of the very best hospitals to meet the
medical and emotional needs of children and their families when they are faced with illness. We are
pleased to be able to support a non-profit medical institution that cares for so many children and families
in our region,” Holley added.
In the Pulmonary Function Lab, an asthma stress test takes place on a treadmill. Licensed,
credentialed respiratory therapists Vivian Henderson and Janice Line first perform a pulmonary function
test on the patient while he or she is breathing normally. Then, while being carefully monitored by
Henderson and Line, the child walks briskly on the treadmill on an incline (to make the walk more
strenuous) for six minutes in an attempt to cause asthma-like breathing symptoms.
The therapists have the patient perform a pulmonary function test at five-minute intervals for the next
20 minutes to evaluate reaction to the exercise challenge. The results help determine if the child does, in
fact, have asthma, which can be controlled with appropriate medication. If the test indicates the child does
not have asthma, then the patient can be referred for other testing to determine the correct diagnosis.
It takes about an hour and a half to run the full test on a single patient, and the lab performs an
average of eight such tests per month. In addition, the lab runs more than 150 additional tests per month
to help patients maintain control of already-diagnosed asthma. Most of the patients are middle-schoolers
without a history of asthma. They are generally becoming involved in competitive sports in school and
are experiencing new symptoms of possible exercise-induced asthma. Due to the symptoms, they are
unable to pass their mandatory school sports physical, so they are referred to Children’s Hospital for a full
assessment before they can be cleared to participate in school sports.
12. good for area children. A portion of the Perry
family legacy will increase the endowment
that supports Camp Eagle’s Nest for our
Hematology/Oncology patients. The bulk of
the Perry bequest will help area children by
providing medical technology that was yet to be
invented when the Perry sisters retired.
Bequests like that of the Perry family have
been a vital source of funding for progress at
Children’s Hospital for decades. Please consider
joining the Perrys in ensuring excellent health
care for future generations via a bequest. Gifts
of all sizes are needed and appreciated; all will
be put to good use helping area children enjoy
better health.
We would like to send you a complimentary
The rolling hills of East Knox County near
Strawberry Plains Pike were a beautiful and
peaceful place at the dawn of the 20th
century.
Perhaps that appealed to Walter Perry when he
returned there after experiencing the carnage
and bloodshed of the Spanish American War.
Like many of us today, he probably saw East
Tennessee as a good place to raise a family.
But it would be nearly four decades before
community leaders established Children’s
Hospital with our Open Door Policy making
care available to all children regardless of their
race, religion or their parents’ ability to pay.
Perry, a stonecutter by trade, was married
to Margaret Alice Luttrell. Theirs was not a
luxurious life. Stonecutting is difficult, tiring
work with an element of physical danger
always lurking. In those years, he probably
rode a horse or mule home after a day of
backbreaking physical labor. Like most rural
East Tennesseans of that time, the Perrys
found gardening necessary to put food on the
family’s table.
They named their first child Clara Cecile
Perry when she was born on August 23, 1901,
two weeks before President William McKinley
was assassinated. In the next several years, as
Thomas Edison was inventing motion pictures,
they were blessed with a son they named
Ardell Earl Perry, followed by daughter Iola
Perry. Their youngest child, Gladys Elizabeth
Perry, was born February 15, 1911, three years
after Henry Ford began manufacturing the
Model T automobile. They were an industrious
family, and in 1910, the year before Gladys’
birth, they purchased a small farm with a
four-room house. The unnamed country lane
leading to it would later be called Perry Road.
As adults, Clara and Gladys Perry worked
on the production line at Knoxville’s Standard
Knitting Mills, amassing over 43 and 39 years
of service, respectively. The work was hard,
and the pay was meager. The two sisters were
the last surviving members of their immediate
family, and when preparing their wills, they
asked their lawyer, Jim Kennedy, about worthy
charities. Having been a patient at Children’s
Hospital as a child, Kennedy suggested the
Perry sisters consider Children’s among the
charities to benefit via a bequest. And they did.
Clara Perry died in 2002 at age 101.
Gladys Perry passed away in 2006 at age
95, and Children’s ultimately received over
$615,000 from her estate -- representing
assets accumulated by her frugal, generous
family during more than a century of living
and working. Her parents would never have
imagined that their family could do such
copy of our Personal Information Record booklet
to use in preparing the important financial and
legal information your lawyer needs to prepare
your will. Just call, write or email us, and we will
send it promptly. We stand ready to work with you
and your legal advisors at any time to provide the
information you need for a bequest. Your gift could
literally change a child’s life.
Please contact us at your convenience:
David S. Rule• , Director of Development,
(865) 541-8172, dsrule@etch.com
Teresa Goddard• , CFRE,
Senior Development Officer,
(865) 541-8466, tgoddard@etch.com
Joe Brandenburg• , Major Gifts Officer,
(865) 541-8467, jwbrandenburg@etch.com
Estate Planning
From humble beginnings to amazing generosity
Include Children’s Hospital in your estate plans.
Join the ABC Club. For more information, call (865) 541-8441.
Please send the FREE planning booklet, “Personal Information Record.”
Name______________________________ Address____________________________________________________________
City___________________________ State_______ Zip_____________ Phone (______) ____________________________
r Please call me at the phone number below for a free confidential consultation concerning planned giving.
r Please send me more information about deferred giving.
r I have already included Children’s Hospital in my estate plan in the following way:
__________________________________________________________________________
r Please send me information about the ABC Club.
Children’s Hospital Development Office • (865) 541-8441
12
The Perry family circa 1918 (left to right): Joseph Walter Perry, father; Ardell Earl Perry, son; Iola
Perry, daughter; Gladys Elizabeth Perry, daughter; Clara Cecile Perry, eldest daughter; and Margaret
Alice Luttrell Perry, mother.
13. The state of Tennessee has given Children’s Hospital an extension to
increase its number of specialty license plates. The hospital is required to
maintain a minimum of 1,000 tags to keep the plate in effect, but as of press
time, the hospital was still slightly below the
required minimum.
With your help, there is still an opportunity to
do more for the children the hospital serves by
enhancing your car with an attractive Children’s
Hospital plate. But most importantly, you can help
make Children’s Hospital an even better place for
area children.
The specialty license plate has been a labor of
love from the beginning. After Children’s Hospital
applied to the legislature in 2002 and received approval, Morris Creative Group
in Knoxville donated their artists’ time to prepare the plate’s design. Volunteers
stuffed mailings to help sell the initial 1,000 plates. Since the plate first became
available, Children’s Hospital has received $71,894.95.
The plate is available at any time through your local County Clerk’s office, and
the cost of the plate is $35 in addition to each county’s
renewal fee. Children’s Hospital receives nearly $16
from each plate sold. Simply drive to your local county
clerk’s office, take in the plate from your car and your
registration, and tell them you would like a Children’s
Hospital plate.
Purchasing a license plate is an easy way to support
the hospital. Please consider renewing your Children’s
Hospital plate each year and encouraging friends and
family to join you.
If you have questions about the specialty license plate, contact your local
County Clerk’s office or the hospital’s Development Department at (865) 541-8441.
License plate deadline extended; purchasers can still help area families
UPCOMING EVENTS
to benefit CHILDREN’S
calendar of events
Mark your calendars now for several
upcoming events to entertain families
and benefit Children’s Hospital. Thanks to
the generous people of East Tennessee
who host and participate in these events,
Children’s Hospital can continue to provide
the best pediatric health care to the
children of this region.
Cutest Little Baby Face
The 19th
annual “Cutest Little Baby Face” contest,
sponsored by Sevierville Kiwanis, will begin March
7 at Belz Outlets in Pigeon Forge. The contest is open
to children ages 6 and younger, with Gary Woods
Photography in Sevierville taking photos of the
participants.
The entry fee for preregistration is $5, and
registration at the event is $7. The fee includes a 5x7
portrait of the participating child, a T-shirt and goody
bag. Pictures will be taken on March 7-8 and posted
for voting on March 20-21 at Belz Outlets.
A $1 donation to Children’s Hospital will count as
100 votes. The child with the most votes is named the
winner and will be announced on March 21 during the
“Baby Face Parade.” Last year’s event raised more
than $18,000.
Contestants may preregister by completing
a registration form at Belz Outlets, Gary Woods
Photography or by calling the Children’s Hospital
Development Department at (865) 541-8745.
“Big Ed” Fishing Tournament
The eighth annual Walter “Big Ed” Purkey
Memorial Fishing Tournament will take place May
9 at Anderson County Park. Fishermen will blast
off at 7 a.m., and weigh-in is set for 3 p.m. No
preregistration is required.
A cookout and prize giveaway will follow the
weigh-in, and first place prize is a guaranteed
$1,500. Additional prize payouts will be determined
by the number of tournament participants.
Proceeds of the tournament will benefit Children’s
Hospital. For information, call Ed Moore at (865)
947-4449 or Jesse Redmond at (865) 938-3804.
Nancy Hayes Baseball Tournament
The seventh annual Nancy Hayes Memorial
Baseball Tournament will take place June
4-7 at various parks throughout Knoxville.
The Hayes family of New Market sponsors
the event in memory of their daughter, Nancy
Elizabeth Hayes, who passed away in the
Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care
Unit. Proceeds from the event will benefit
Children’s Hospital. For more information,
contact Lenny Hayes at (865) 441-1367 or
by e-mail at lhayes22@earthlink.net.
Re/Max Preferred Properties
Charity Golf Classic
Area golfers are invited to be part of the
Re/Max Preferred Properties Charity Golf
Classic at Egwani Farms in Rockford.
Re/Max is the sole sponsor of the “Josh
the Dog” program, which is designed
specifically to help answer any questions
children may have and ease anxiety before
they are admitted for surgery at Children’s
Hospital. Each child who participates in a
pre-admission tour at Children’s Hospital
receives a free Josh plush puppy as well
as a book titled I’ll Be O.K., written by
Knoxville veterinarian Dr. Randy Lange.
All proceeds raised will benefit Children’s
Hospital’s pre-admission tour featuring “Josh the
Dog.” The date will be announced soon.
Star 102.1 Radiothon
The eighth annual Star 102.1 Radiothon will
take place May 14-15 at West Town Mall. Morning
show personalities Marc Kim and Frank will
host this live event from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days,
encouraging listeners and those who stop by to make
a personal pledge to benefit Children’s Hospital.
A silent auction at Radiothon will feature
great items from local and national companies.
In its first seven years, Radiothon has raised
well over $1 million for Children’s Hospital.
All net proceeds will benefit Children’s Hospital
Home Health Care and the CarePages service. To
help with Radiothon, please call the Children’s
Hospital Development Office at (865) 541-8441.
Helicopter Awareness Day
Scenic Helicopter Tours in Sevierville will
again host its annual Helicopter Awareness Days
to benefit Children’s Hospital and the Smoky
Mountain Children’s Home in Sevierville and to
raise awareness of the importance of helicopters
in society. The date for this event will be
announced soon.
by Christie Sithiphone, student intern
13
15. Yogurt on the go
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
3/4 c. light fruit-flavored yogurt
1 tbsp. raisins
1 tbsp. sunflower seeds
1/3 c. strawberries
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a plastic cup.1.
For variety, try using different flavors of2.
yogurt as well as different fruit and nuts.
Serves: 1
Serving size: about 1 1/4 cup
Nutritional analysis (per serving):
Note: Nutritional analysis may vary
depending on ingredient brands used.
232 calories•
7 g protein•
4 g fat•
0 g saturated fat•
40 g carbohydrate•
3 g fiber•
3 mg cholesterol•
88 mg sodium•
222 mg calcium•
0.9 mg iron•
15
UPCOMING community
education classes
CPR Certification Course
Dates: March 23, April 20, May 18,
June 15 and July 20
Time: 6-10 p.m.
This certification course teaches the
American Heart Association chain of
survival -- from when to call 911 to how
to effectively administer CPR to an infant,
child or adult. This course is designed
for anyone who may be expected to
respond to emergencies at home or in
the workplace. Participants must be at
least 14 years old. Following the course,
participants will receive an American
Heart Association Heartsaver certification
card. This course is $40 per person.
Safe Sitter
Dates: March 7, 14 (at the Women Today
Expo, Knoxville Convention
Center), 21 and 28; April 4, 18 and
25; May 2, 9, 16 and 30; June 6,
13, 20 and 27; and July 11 and 18
Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (lunch is provided)
Safe Sitter is a national organization
that teaches young adolescents safe
and nurturing babysitting techniques
and the rescue skills needed to respond
appropriately to medical emergencies.
Instructors are certified through Safe
Sitter nationally. Participants must be
ages 11-14. This course is $20 per person.
Class size is limited, so preregistration
is required. All classes are offered in the
Koppel Plaza at Children’s Hospital,
unless otherwise noted. For more
information or to register for any of these
classes or to receive our free Healthy Kids
parenting newsletter, call (865) 541-8262.
Announcements about upcoming
classes can be seen on WBIR-TV 10 and
heard on area radio stations. Or visit our
Web site at www.etch.com and click on
“Healthy Kids Education and News.”
Children’s Hospital’s Healthy
Kids Campaign, sponsored by WBIR-
TV Channel 10 and Chick-Fil-A, is
a community education initiative of
the hospital’s Community Relations
Department to help parents keep their
children healthy.
Healthy Breakfast Recip es
Strawberry smoothie
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
2 ice cubes
1 c. milk
1/3 c. cottage cheese
2/3 c. frozen strawberries
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
Pour all of the ingredients into a1.
blender.
Put the lid on the blender and blend for2.
45 to 60 seconds until smooth.
Pour your smoothie into a glass and3.
enjoy.
Serves: 1
Serving size: 1 large glass
Nutritional analysis (per serving):
Note: Nutritional analysis may vary
depending on ingredient brands used.
289 calories•
19 g protein•
2 g fat•
49 g carbohydrate•
3 g fiber•
7 mg cholesterol•
430 mg sodium•
369 mg calcium•
0.8 mg iron•
16. to ensure that all patients will
continue to receive the best medical
care available.
Children’s Hospital would like to
thank everyone who was involved
with this year’s telethon, including
corporate sponsors Walmart, Kroger,
Food Lion, RE/MAX, Love’s
Travel Center, Kiwanis and
USA Gymnastics. Also, special
thanks to WBIR-TV Channel
10 and its entire staff for 27
years of support and dedication
to improving the lives of
children.
by Logan Clark, student intern
The 27th
annual Children’s
Miracle Network Telethon was again
a great success, raising $1.4 million for
Children’s Hospital through individual pledges
and corporate donations. The telethon took place
Sunday, January 25 from 3 to 11:30 p.m. and
was broadcast live on WBIR-TV Channel 10.
As a charter member of the Children’s Miracle
Network, Children’s Hospital was one of only
22 hospitals in the nation to participate in the
first telethon in 1983, which raised more than
$95,000. Since the telethon’s origin, community
support for the event has grown substantially
each year.
The event has generated $29 million in
funds over the years. All money raised enables
the hospital to purchase advanced medical
equipment for various departments
27th
annual
Children’s Miracle Network Telethon
raises $1.4 million