Staff and patients of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital welcomed legendary golf icon Jack Nicklaus, his wife, Barbara Nicklaus, and singer/actress Marie Osmond, co-founder of the Children’s Miracle Network, on a tour of the hospital’s new Advanced Pediatric Care Pavilion (APCP) on Friday, January 27. The visit ended on a festive note with the patients, families and special guests gathering for an interactive musical drum circle session hosted by the Nicklaus Children’s music therapists on the inpatient neurology/neurosurgery unit.
“We are thrilled to have Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, as well as Marie Osmond, join us today,” said Tim Birkenstock, Interim President and CEO of Miami Children’s Health Foundation l. “Their commendable efforts and commitment to support the health and well-being of children everywhere have provided us with the opportunity to bring state-of-the-art medical services to those patients that need it the most.”
The visit to the APCP, a six-story bed tower housing the hospital’s three intensive care units, the hematology-oncology unit and the neurology-neurosurgery, started in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit where Dr. Kristine J. Guleserian gave an in-depth tour of the technology and department resources to treat a full range of congenital heart disorders. After the tour, Ms. Osmond and the Nicklauses sang along patients of the neurology-neurosurgery unit in a heartwarming drum circle, part of the music therapy program at the hospital aimed to foster a speedy recovery.
For 32 years, the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital has been the exclusive Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties. Since 1985, the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ fundraising partners have raised almost $29 million for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.
About Miami Children’s Health Foundation
Miami Children’s Health Foundation (MCH Foundation) is a not-for profit 501(c)(3) organization established to support the creation of a world-class pediatric hospital so no child needs to leave South Florida for superior medical care. “Funding World-Class Care” and following the principle that all children deserve state-of-the-art pediatric care, MCH Foundation, a part of the Miami Children’s Health System, has helped the 289-bed Nicklaus Children’s Hospital become a leader in pediatric healthcare with more than 650 attending physicians and over 130 pediatric sub-specialists. Currently, MCH Foundation is dedicating all its resources to Together For The Children, The Campaign For Miami Children’s, which aims to help fund priorities, such as the expansion of the Emergency Department, construction of the recently opened Advanced Pediatric Care Pavilion, enhancements to its three centers of excellence, and expanding global/telehealth endeavors. Other campaign priorities include research, pediatric outreach and special programs.
About Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada. Donations stay local to fund critical treatments and healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care. Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $5 billion, most of it $1 at a time through the charity’s Miracle Balloon icon. Its various fundraising partners and programs support the nonprofit’s mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Find out why children’s hospitals need community support, identify your member hospital and learn how you can Put Your Money Where the Miracles Are, at CMNHospitals.org and facebook.com/CMNHospitals.
About Nicklaus Children’s Hospital
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital – part of Miami Children’s Health System – is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with more than 740 attending physicians and over 220 pediatric sub-specialists. The 289-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with several specialty programs ranked among the best in the nation in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016-17, by U.S. News & World Report. The hospital is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession’s most prestigious institutional honor. For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org
