Children's Hospital Colorado 2009 Annual Report

Download Children's Hospital Colorado 2009 Annual Report (.pdf)

Wonder. Explore. Discover.

Dear Friends,

Children teach us how to look at the world. They wonder and explore with their eyes and hands, reach without boundaries. When they find something fascinating, the joy of their discovery inspires.

This is how children grow. To them, there's no end to possibility. Their energy knows no limits and they live by a philosophy that asks, "Why not?"

At Children's Hospital Colorado, we also ask "why not?" as we explore the boundaries of pediatric health care. Our dedicated nurses, physicians, child-life specialists, and social workers continue to deliver family-centered care on the front line as our researchers explore behind-the-scenes for smarter surgical solutions, more healing therapies, and revolutionary medications. 

Our wonder leads us to technological discoveries and innovative treatments while our mission continues to guide superior outcomes in everything from respiratory viruses to major kidney transplants.

Our discoveries lead to new and advanced treatments for patients like Addison Squibbs with Burkitt's lymphoma, Tyler Warner with perinatal stroke, and Sam Mattei with childhood stroke, whose stories we tell in the following pages.

Addison, Tyler, and Sam - and thousands of others - are tangible reminders that what we do is never enough until children no longer need to come to the hospital. This vision motivates us to not only deliver the best clinical care, but to search to the ends of the earth to find a cure.

This compassion translated into notable research and care in 2009 as our faculty physicians, nurses, and staff analyzed the effect of bone marrow transplantation on cognitive development; improved therapies for sickle cell anemia, hemophilia and clotting disorders; conducted clinical trials to develop better drug treatment for complex conditions like cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and epilepsy; explored the underlying mechanisms of diseases common in adults, but unfamiliar in children.

And the list goes on and on and on.

In 2009, our researchers on the Anschutz Medical Campus collaborated with many partners - like the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the Colorado Clinical Translational Sciences Institute - to achieve remarkable results that will surely impact children near and far.

In fact, last year we proudly served more than 462,800 children (both inpatient and outpatient) - regardless of their ability to pay - and expanded our Network of Care to treat children far beyond the Anschutz Medical Campus.

We at Children's always question what health challenges children will experience in their lifetimes, wonder how big they will grow, and ask what more we can do.

As we move forward, we must not only consider what we have done but also what we have yet to do. Children never stop, and so it is for us too. We will never stop questioning, growing, or believing in a future where all children are healthy and happy, forever striving to bridge the gap between what is and what can be.

Sincerely,

James E. Shmerling, DHA, FACHE
President and Chief Executive Officer

Craig Ponzio
Chair, Board of Directors