Rady Children's Hospital

Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, the largest children's hospital in California, is a 449-bed pediatric care facility providing the largest source of comprehensive pediatric medical services in San Diego, southern Riverside and Imperial counties. Rady Children's is the only hospital in the San Diego area dedicated exclusively to pediatric healthcare and is the region's only designated pediatric trauma center. The hospital is verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center. Rady Children's is the provider of care to more than 82 percent of the region's children. On October 10, 2010, Rady Children's opened the Acute Care Pavilion, a LEED-Certified (green) building that is home to the new Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, the Warren Family Surgical Center, and a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the community's tiniest and most fragile babies. In 2001, Rady Children's formed a partnership with the University of California-San Diego to unify pediatric patient care, research, education, and community service programs. Rady Children's is a major pediatric clinical research center with more than 160 clinical trials and 250 other research projects underway. Our research collaborations include UC San Diego, the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Sanford Health. The hospital is nationally recognized for its medical excellence. Rady Children's is ranked in all 10 pediatric specialties surveyed by U.S. News & World Report ("Best Children's Hospitals", 2011–12).

In 2011, Rady Children's Hospital was ranked in all 10 specialties by U.S. New and World Report. The specialties were: Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Neonatology, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology, and Urology.

History

On August 19, 1954, Rady Children's opened to receive its first 12 patients. Caring for a dozen patients may not seem that momentous, but in a town badly affected by the polio epidemic, Rady Children's was considered a godsend. Since then, nearly 2 million sick and injured children have been treated at the hospital.

Plans for the Hospital began in 1951 when the Board of the San Diego Society for Crippled Children initiated construction plans for a new children's hospital. In 1953, Rady Children's Hospital Auxiliary was formed and, later that year, groundbreaking took place.

The Rady family

In 2006, the Rady family made a donation of $60 million to Children's Hospital of San Diego. The Hospital then officially became Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego.

Harry Rady is a member of the Rady Children's Hospital Board of Trustees and is on the Dean's Advisory Board at the Rady School of Management at UCSD. Mr. Rady is also a frequent contributor to CNBC, Barron's, Forbes, WSJ and other Financial Publications.

Employees

Rady Children's has nearly 700 physicians and more than 1,000 nurses on staff, nearly 3,000 employees, 450 active volunteers, and more than 1,200 Auxiliary members.

Fundraising

Rady Children's Hospital Foundation directs fundraising efforts on behalf of the Hospital, and offers numerous opportunities for volunteers to participate. Its main volunteer group is Rady Children's Hospital Auxiliary (RCHA), whose members organize and promote many fundraising events, and in many cases contribute their individual services more directly in support of the Hospital and its pediatric patients.

RCHA continues to be highly effective in fulfilling its mission statement: "To work in partnership with Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego and to support its mission through advocating for the health and well-being of children, increasing community awareness of Rady Children's Hospital, and fundraising."

Begun over a century ago to support "the children's home", RCHA formally became a supporting arm of Children's Hospital when the initial hospital was built on its current site in 1953. Recently the 103rd Anniversary Charity Ball to benefit Rady Children's – Spectacular San Diego – was held at the renowned Hotel Del Coronado. In all, the annual Charity Ball has contributed over $10 million to support various hospital departments and programs.

Most of RCHA's activities occur within its 21 auxiliary units located in various communities throughout the hospital's service area in San Diego, Imperial and Riverside counties. Many units sponsor fundraising events of their own, including a Garden Walk by Point Loma's Dana Unit, Sweet Charity luncheon by Fuerte Hills' Unit, and Stand Up for Rady Children's, sponsored by the Rancho Santa Fe Unit. Since 2007, the Carmel Valley Unit has raised approximately $4 million to support various areas of the Hospital such as Speech & Hearing, Emergency Care Center, Neonatal Intensive Care Center, Asthma and Immunology, Chadwick Center for Children and Autism Discovery Institute.

All American Classic event

Since 2003, the Hospital has been the beneficiary of the proceeds from the annual Perfect Game All-American Classic, which is an all-star baseball game and banquet. The game is held at Petco Park, San Diego, and features the 38 best players from around the nation who are entering their senior year of high school. At the banquet, the Aflac National High School Baseball Player of the Year is presented the Jackie Robinson Award. "The Aflac All-American Baseball Classic is ... part of Aflac's ... commitment to the fight against childhood cancer, with ticket proceeds benefiting Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego." Since 2003, the Aflac All-American Baseball Classic has generated nearly $805,000 for charity.

References

• U.S. News & World Report (2009) Rankings by Specialty. Accessed April 29, 2010 from http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/pediatric-rankings.

External links

• Rady Children's Hospital – Website
• Rady Children's Foundation