SEATTLE, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center launched the largest capital campaign in the hospital's history today, announcing an overall target of $300 million. The Campaign for Children's will raise funds for uncompensated care, facility improvements and research.
Children's began soliciting support for the campaign in 2001. Since that time, more than two-thirds of the funds have been raised in donations from community members, corporations, employees and patient families.
The campaign was publicly announced at an evening celebration on Feb. 6 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. Keynote speaker Melinda French Gates, who also chairs The Campaign for Children's, spoke to an audience of 2,200 community members.
"Investments here at Children's lead to better, healthier lives for children and families everywhere -- including millions of children who will never visit our hospital -- or even this side of the globe," said Gates. "That's why Children's vision is to end childhood disease -- because a lesser mission is too small an ambition for this collection of talent."
The Campaign for Children's will help expand and support uncompensated care, facilities and research.
Uncompensated Care -- Children's continues a founding legacy to treat all children in Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho regardless of a family's ability to pay. Last year, Children's provided $35.8 million in financial assistance to nearly 57,000 families. The hospital projection for uncompensated care in 2006 is $36 million.
Facilities -- The Campaign for Children's will help Children's keep pace with the growth in our region, respond to raising patient volumes, and provide space for patient care and research. Facility expansions include:
-- The Janet Sinegal Patient Care Building, which opened in January 2004 and increased bed capacity to 250 beds. -- An ambulatory care building that will open next month. -- Expanding the Emergency Department, operating rooms and other high intensity ambulatory outpatient care services in 2007.
Research -- The Campaign for Children's will help develop promising new treatments and discover cures for childhood disease and illness.
"The campaign will help propel the hospital to new levels of excellence in patient care," said Dr. Thomas Hansen, who joined Children's as president and CEO in October 2005. "That care has to remain accessible, compassionate and centered around the family. Research discoveries in molecular medicine have the potential to transform the way we practice medicine."
"Children's was founded by a broken-hearted Seattle mother who lost her son and thought that her hometown needed a hospital dedicated exclusively to the special care of children," said Gates. "It's been an honor and a privilege to support this phenomenal hospital and embrace its mission. Children's puts science to its highest human use -- to ease suffering and end disease. We want to create for more and more mothers and fathers the miraculous experience of seeing their sick child made well."
The celebration included remarks from Kathy Randall, chairman of Children's Hospital Board of Trustees; Dr. Thomas Hansen, Children's president and CEO; Scott and Laurie Oki, co-chairs of The Campaign for Children's; and Melinda French Gates, chair of The Campaign for Children's. The celebration closed with a song written for Children's Hospital by award-wining composer Marvin Hamlisch and performed with the Seattle Children's Chorus.
Leading the campaign along with chair Melinda French Gates are 14 co-chairs -- Laurie Oki, co-founder, Oki Foundation; Scott Oki, co-founder, Oki Foundation; Julia Calhoun, president, Laurel Foundation; Bob Cline, retired chairman and CEO at Airborne Freight; Al Clise, chairman and CEO, Clise Properties and great-grandson of Children's founder Anna Clise; Kandace Holley, former chairman, Children's Hospital Guild Association Board of Trustees; Rick Holley, president and CEO, Plum Creek Timber; Howard Lincoln, chairman and CEO, Seattle Mariners; Kathy Randall, chairman, Children's Hospital Board of Trustees; Jan Sinegal, trustee of both Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital Foundation boards; Jim Sinegal, CEO, Costco Wholesale; Gerry Swanson, vice chairman, Ascentis; Dina Wells, board trustee and former chairman, Children's Hospital; and Lenny Wilkens, former player and coach for the Seattle Supersonics and Portland Trail Blazers.
For more information about The Campaign for Children's please visit http://campaign.seattlechildrens.org .
Event B-Roll Downlink available: Satellite Coordinates: Galaxy 3, Transponder C-6 First window: 4:00 - 4:15 a.m. EST on Tuesday, February 7 First window: 3:00 - 3:15 p.m. EST on Tuesday, February 7 View B-Roll advisory and flow at http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/preview.jsp?componentid=3326712 .
About Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center
Consistently ranked as one of the best children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report and Child magazines, Children's serves as the pediatric referral center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. Children's delivers superior patient care, advances new discoveries and treatments in pediatric research, and serves as the primary pediatric teaching site for the University of Washington School of Medicine. For more information about Children's, visit www.seattlechildrens.org.
Media Contact: Jennifer Seymour, Media Relations Manager Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center 206-987-5207 jennifer.seymour@seattlechildrens.org
Children's Hospital and Regional Medical CenterCONTACT: Jennifer Seymour, Media Relations Manager of Children's Hospitaland Regional Medical Center, +1-206-987-5207, orjennifer.seymour@seattlechildrens.org
Web site: http://www.seattlechildrens.org/
