Press Release
Since Shriners International opened its first Shriners Hospital for Children on Sept. 16, 1922 in Shreveport, La., Shriners Hospitals for Children have shared their love with more than one million children.
Acceptance into the Shrine hospital system is based solely on a child’s medical needs if, in the opinion of our physicians, there is a reasonable possibility they can benefit from the specialized services.
A child up to age 18 is eligible for admission without regard to race, colour, creed, gender, sect, disability, or national origin.
The Shriners Hospitals for Children system has grown to 22 hospitals and is one of the largest sub-specialty health-care systems in the world.
Unfortunately, due to changes to the medical system in Canada and a decline in the polio epidemic, the Winnipeg hospital was turned over to the Manitoba government in 1977, leaving only one Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Canada (located in Montreal).
The staff at our 22 hospitals is dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, conducting innovative research, and offering outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals.
They deliver cutting-edge treatment in a compassionate, family-centered environment that helps heal children inside as well as outside.
One of the ways they accomplish this healing is by holding camps for the patients, where they participate in various activities with their peers.
At Shriners Hospitals for Children, care is provided to children with orthopaedic conditions, burn and spinal cord injuries, as well as cleft lip and palate, regardless of a family’s income, ability to pay, insurance coverage, or insurance status.
Within these broad service lines, many types of specialized services are available.
For instance, some locations offer reconstructive plastic surgery while others provide treatment for craniofacial abnormalities or care for sports injuries.
The annual budget for Khartum Shrine’s patient transportation fund is $230,000. In 2014, we spent $290,800, including an air ambulance flight at a cost of $14,500, for the 250 patient visits sponsored by Khartum Shriners.
These patient visits involved 95 different patients (18 were new) from Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.
Patient visits varied from a patient with one visit to those with 11 visits, and stays from a half-day to 68 days.
The majority of our patients are treated at Twin Cities hospital (171 visits, or 68.4 percent) and the Canadian hospital (62 visits, or 24.8 percent).
We also sponsored one patient for four visits to the Boston hospital and four patients for a total of 12 visits to the Chicago hospital, and made use of the satellite clinic once.
Of the 250 patient visits, 36 percent are Northwestern Ontario, 44 percent are Winnipeg and immediate area, and 20 percent are from the rural Manitoba Shrine clubs.
When Shriners sponsor a child from your area to a Shrine Hospitals for Children, they assist in the travel and accommodation costs.
Normally, we provide assistance for the child and one parent or guardian. In extenuating circumstances, however, we will provide additional assistance.
For more than 90 years, children from Canada, the U.S., and around the world have benefited from Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Above and beyond the world-class care, our children have found a home away from home.
A place where their disabilities do not define who they are, but merely are a stepping stone to becoming the most productive, active, and autonomous adults possible.
This is what it is all about; Shriners helping kids have a better quality of life, putting smiles on their faces, and giving them the greatest gift of all—hope.
Editor’s note: The annual Shrine Circus will be held Tuesday, May 12 at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Memorial Sports Centre.
Tickets cost $13 in advance (available at Safeway) and $14 at the door, with kids under four being free.
