Main content
Current Press Releases
Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento
Children’s Center at SMCS Joins Together for Kids to Meet Growing Needs in Children’s Health 09-26-2007
The Children's Center at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento announced today its involvement in a new nonprofit organization, Together for Kids, which will raise funds nationally to help SMCS and other member hospitals cope with dramatic increases in children’s health needs.
"The children of the Sacramento-Sierra region and all across America are facing many challenges that adversely impact their health and well-being: among them are obesity, accidental injuries and lack of health insurance," said Gregory Janos, M.D., medical director of Women's and Children's Services at SMCS. "The Children’s Center at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento is proud to be part of this exciting new initiative and its mission to rally more resources for programs that will improve children’s health."
Troubling statistics demonstrate the need for more resources on children’s health. Since the 1980s, the percentage of overweight and/or asthmatic children has risen steadily, and the number of accidental injuries has grown as well. Meanwhile, funding for children's hospitals is declining. The goal of Together for Kids is to bolster fundraising efforts for this crisis and specifically focus on the two issues at the forefront of this threat to children's health: obesity and accidental injuries.
"Together for Kids will provide a desperately needed shot in the arm to help support the critical work of children's hospitals that care for ill or injured children and provide preventative measures to help create life-long healthy habits," said Katherine Keeney, executive director of Sutter Medical Center Foundation.
Together for Kids consists of 34 children’s hospitals and hospital systems, representing 53 individual facilities serving children in 47 U.S. cities. As a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity, Together for Kids will raise funds through corporate sponsorship, events, grants and other forms of philanthropy, distributing the funds to member hospitals to address the most urgent children's health needs in their communities.
In April 2008, the Children's Center at SMCS and other member hospitals will participate in Together for Kids' first annual national fundraising campaign, Come Out to Play! — a month-long series of events around the country to raise funds for hospitalized children and to encourage kids and families to take part in active play that is healthy and safe.
The announcement was made at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento's Teichert Branch in the Fruitridge area of Sacramento. Boys & Girls Clubs are a national partner of Together for Kids.
Children's Center at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento specializes in neonatal and pediatric intensive care, pediatric neurosurgery, oncology and cardiovascular surgery. It is affiliated with Sutter Health, a not-for-profit, community based health system located throughout Northern California. For more information on the Children's Center at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, visit the website at sutterchildrens.org.
Together for Kids (www.togetherforkids.org) is a national alliance of children’s hospitals and other hospitals serving children, dedicated to building a healthier future for America’s kids. The organization provides an urgently needed national fundraising mechanism for its member hospitals, helping them care for seriously ill children and tackle the toughest health issues facing all kids, with a focus on childhood obesity and accident prevention.
# # #
"The children of the Sacramento-Sierra region and all across America are facing many challenges that adversely impact their health and well-being: among them are obesity, accidental injuries and lack of health insurance," said Gregory Janos, M.D., medical director of Women's and Children's Services at SMCS. "The Children’s Center at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento is proud to be part of this exciting new initiative and its mission to rally more resources for programs that will improve children’s health."
Troubling statistics demonstrate the need for more resources on children’s health. Since the 1980s, the percentage of overweight and/or asthmatic children has risen steadily, and the number of accidental injuries has grown as well. Meanwhile, funding for children's hospitals is declining. The goal of Together for Kids is to bolster fundraising efforts for this crisis and specifically focus on the two issues at the forefront of this threat to children's health: obesity and accidental injuries.
"Together for Kids will provide a desperately needed shot in the arm to help support the critical work of children's hospitals that care for ill or injured children and provide preventative measures to help create life-long healthy habits," said Katherine Keeney, executive director of Sutter Medical Center Foundation.
Together for Kids consists of 34 children’s hospitals and hospital systems, representing 53 individual facilities serving children in 47 U.S. cities. As a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity, Together for Kids will raise funds through corporate sponsorship, events, grants and other forms of philanthropy, distributing the funds to member hospitals to address the most urgent children's health needs in their communities.
In April 2008, the Children's Center at SMCS and other member hospitals will participate in Together for Kids' first annual national fundraising campaign, Come Out to Play! — a month-long series of events around the country to raise funds for hospitalized children and to encourage kids and families to take part in active play that is healthy and safe.
The announcement was made at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento's Teichert Branch in the Fruitridge area of Sacramento. Boys & Girls Clubs are a national partner of Together for Kids.
Children's Center at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento specializes in neonatal and pediatric intensive care, pediatric neurosurgery, oncology and cardiovascular surgery. It is affiliated with Sutter Health, a not-for-profit, community based health system located throughout Northern California. For more information on the Children's Center at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, visit the website at sutterchildrens.org.
Together for Kids (www.togetherforkids.org) is a national alliance of children’s hospitals and other hospitals serving children, dedicated to building a healthier future for America’s kids. The organization provides an urgently needed national fundraising mechanism for its member hospitals, helping them care for seriously ill children and tackle the toughest health issues facing all kids, with a focus on childhood obesity and accident prevention.
# # #