St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Main entrance | |
| Geography | |
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| Location | 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Organization | |
| Care system | Private & Charity |
| Hospital type | Specialist |
| Services | |
| Standards | JCAHO accreditation |
| Emergency department | No |
| Speciality | Pediatric Oncology |
| History | |
| Founded | 1962 |
| Links | |
| Website | home page |
| Lists | Hospitals in Tennessee |
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a leading pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is a nonprofit medical corporation chartered as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization under IRS regulations.
In 1996, Peter C. Doherty, Ph.D., of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, was corecipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work related to how the immune system kills virus-infected cells.
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[edit] History
St. Jude was founded by entertainer Danny Thomas on the premise that "no child should die in the dawn of life." Thomas named the hospital for Saint Jude Thaddeus, the Catholic patron saint of hospitals, desperate cases and lost causes. Thomas was a struggling young entertainer when he knelt in a Detroit church before a statue of St. Jude Thaddeus and asked the saint to "show me my way in life and I will build you a shrine." [1] Thomas's prayer was answered, and he soon moved his family to Chicago to pursue career offers. In 1957, Thomas founded the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC), which helped him realize his dream. ALSAC is also the fundraising organization of St. Jude. Since St. Jude opened its doors in 1962, ALSAC has had the responsibility of raising the necessary funds to keep the hospital open.
[edit] The Hospital
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2009) |
Discoveries at St. Jude have completely changed how doctors treat children with cancer and other catastrophic illnesses. Since St. Jude was established, the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common type of childhood cancer, has increased from 4 percent in 1962 to 94 percent today.[citation needed] St. Jude has treated children from across the United States and from more than 70 countries. Doctors across the world consult with St. Jude on their toughest cases, in which there is no cure for or is a severe case of it. Also, St. Jude has an International Outreach Program to improve the survival rates of children with catastrophic illnesses worldwide through the transfer of knowledge, technology and organizational skills.
[edit] Directors/CEO
- William E. Evans, Pharm.D. (2004-Present)
- Arthur W. Nienhuis, M.D. (1993-2004)
- Joseph Simone, M.D. (1983-1992)
- Alvin Mauer, M.D. (1973-1983)
- Donald Pinkel, M.D. (1962-1973)
[edit] Affiliated hospitals
St. Jude is associated with several different affiliate hospitals around the nation to further its efforts beyond its own physical walls. The hospital uses its Domestic Affiliates Program to form this partnership with the other pediatric programs. This program is a network of hematology clinics, hospitals, and universities that are united under the mission of St. Jude.
These sites are used as a means of referring eligible patients to St. Jude as well as a location to administer some care. Through the Domestic Affiliates Program staff at St. Jude work together and collaborate with those at the other institutions. Affiliated sites are expected to comply with standards set by St. Jude and are audited to ensure proper and quality care.[2]
Currently the Domestic Affiliate Clinic sites include:[3]
- Johnson City Medical Center in Johnson City, Tennessee
- St. Jude Midwest Affiliate in Peoria, Illinois
- Louisiana State University, Department of Pediatrics, in Shreveport, Louisiana
- Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children, in Huntsville, Alabama
[edit] Funding
All medically eligible patients who are accepted for treatment at St. Jude are treated without regard to the family's ability to pay. St. Jude is the only pediatric research center in the United States where families never pay for treatments that are not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. In addition to providing medical services to eligible patients, St. Jude also assists families with transportation, lodging, and meals. Three separate specially-designed patient housing facilities—Grizzly House for short-term (up to two weeks), Ronald McDonald House for medium-term (two weeks to 3 months), and Target House for long-term (3 months or more)—provide housing for patients and up to three family members, with no cost to the patient. These policies, along with research expenses and other costs, cause the hospital to incur more than $2.4 million in operating costs each day. Around $180,000 is covered by patient insurance, the remaining $2.22M/day is funded by charitable contributions.[4]
[edit] Philanthropic aid
To cover operating costs, ALSAC conducts many fund-raising events and activities. The FedEx St. Jude Classic, a PGA Tour event, is one of the most visible fund-raising events for the hospital. Other fund-raising programs include the St. Jude Math-A-Thon, Up 'til Dawn, direct mailings, radiothons and television marketing.
St. Jude also has a merchandise catalog called the Hope Catalog. The catalog contains everything from shirts to office items, and from patient art to "Give Thanks" wristbands.
One of the hospital's most recent and successful[citation needed] fund-raising efforts has been the Dream Home Giveaway. The giveaway allows contest entrants to reserve tickets for $100 each to qualify to win homes valued up to $720,000. The Dream Home Giveaway, one of the largest national fund-raising programs, is conducted in cities across the United States.
In November 2004, St. Jude launched its inaugural Thanks and Giving campaign which encourages consumers to help raise funds at participating retailers by adding a donation at checkout or by purchasing specialty items to benefit St. Jude. The campaign is supported by network television spots, advertisements in major publications, interactive marketing on Yahoo! and a movie trailer that runs on 20,000 screens nationwide. Corporations such as Target, Domino's Pizza, the Williams-Sonoma family of brands, CVS/pharmacy, Kmart, Kay Jewelers, 7-Eleven, Inc., American Airlines, American Kiosk Management, AutoZone, Brooks Brothers, Busch Gardens, Casual Male XL, Catherines, Diane von Furstenberg, Dollar General, Easy Spirit, General Nutrition Centers, Gymboree, HSN, J. P. Morgan Chase, Marshall's, The Melting Pot, Memphis Grizzlies (NBA), Nine West, Rochester, Sag Harbor, Saks Fifth Avenue, SeaWorld, St. Louis Rams (NFL), West Elm, Westfield Shoppingtowns, and Yahoo! give customers a host of opportunities to support St. Jude.[citation needed]
St. Jude has been named one of two International Philanthropic Projects of Epsilon Sigma Alpha International, a co-ed service sorority. As of October 2009, ESA has raised more than $135 million for St. Jude.[citation needed]
At various college campuses, some student organizations, fraternities and sororities raise funds in a program called Up 'til Dawn[5]
For the past five years, 83.7% of every dollar received by St. Jude has gone to the current or future needs of St. Jude. As of 2006[update], for the past two years 47% of program expenses have gone to patient care and 41% to research.[4]
In 1999 Delta Delta Delta (Tri-Delta) sorority formed a philanthropic partnership with St. Jude. Currently, Tri-Delta supports St. Jude nationally, and supports cancer charities at a local level.[citation needed] Tri-Delta donated the Teen Room within St. Jude, a room especially for teenage patients to relax and spend time with each other. Currently, Tri-Delta is committed to a 10 in 10 campaign. The goal is to raise $10 million in 10 years.[6]
In 2002, the Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon was established in Beirut on April 12, 2002. The center is an affiliate of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and works in association with the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC).[7]
[edit] McDonald's Monopoly
In 1995, St. Jude received an anonymous letter postmarked in Dallas, Texas, containing a $1 million winning game piece from the McDonald's Monopoly game. Although game rules prohibited the transfer of prizes, McDonald's waived the rule and has made the annual $50,000 annuity payments.[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2009) |
- ^ "The National Shrine of St. Jude". http://shrineofstjude.claretians.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ssj_jude_danny_thomas&JServSessionIdr009=kyp8g74bg4.app45a. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
- ^ "Domestic Affiliates". St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ab676f9523e70110VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD&vgnextchannel=216615faf7118010VgnVCM1000000e2015acRCRD. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
- ^ "Domestic Affiliate Clinic Sites". St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=4ab16f9523e70110VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD&vgnextchannel=c38615faf7118010VgnVCM1000000e2015acRCRD. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
- ^ a b (PDF) Annual Report. 2005. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. January, 2006. http://www.stjude.org/content/files/3/20651report05.pdf. Retrieved 2006-11-03.
- ^ "Up 'Till Dawn". St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=c733e64c5b470110VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD&vgnextchannel=f7d7bfe82e118010VgnVCM1000000e2015acRCRD. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
- ^ Tri-Delta 10 in 10 Campaign
- ^ Children's Cancer Center
- ^ Donor Turns Fast Food Into Big Bucks For Hospital - New York Times
[edit] External links
- St.Jude Children's Research Hospital Website
- TriDelta Philanthropy Website
- Domestic Affiliate Clinic Sites
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, with Honored Guest Tony Bennett, red carpet event to help raise funds
Coordinates: 35°09′08″N 90°02′40″W / 35.15236°N 90.04456°W
