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Working in the healthcare industry, I’ve noticed many changes over the past few years, especially with regard to the quality of patient care.  With the rising costs of health insurance every year, and what seems like a frequent reduction in actual benefits, it can be very frustrating.  Couple that with a downturn in the economy, even a minimal weekly co-pay can be cost prohibitive to getting the appropriate care for ourselves or our children.

This is a reality for many families and I hear it at work when parents decline weekly occupational therapy services because they can’t afford the transportation costs, a weekly co-pay or to even take time off from work to bring their child for services, because they fear the loss of their job and income.  So what happens if something traumatic happens to your child that results in a serious injury or your child is born with a significant physical disability, where as a parent you are now unable to work in order to care for your child, and the rising medical bills cause even more stress during such an emotional, life or death situation?

Sitting amidst many well known hospitals, right in my own city of Boston, there is an oasis, called Shriners Hospitals for Children.  I, like many others, only associated this hospital as a place for  children who might have suffered from various degrees of burn injuries.  What I never understood was the variety of medical, therapeutic and reconstructive services they provide to a wide range of children with orthopedic disabilities, physical deformities or skin conditions, on both inpatient and outpatient levels.

In the United States and Canada, there are 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children, which are primarily funded by philanthropic initiatives,  raising money the good old fashioned way, through grass roots fundraising in local communities. Irregardless of a person’s financial status or health insurance, children ages newborn to the 18, are never turned away because of their inability to pay. Over 1 million children have been treated at Shriners Hospitals and patients have come from over 70 different countries for their unbelievable family centered care. Up until recently, Shriners Hospitals for Children did not even bill health insurance plans for their services due to their endowment. However, they, like everyone else, have been impacted by the rising costs of healthcare. So now, even though they attempt to bill insurance to recoup some of the cost, their mission is the same, and a family is never turned away because of an inability to pay for the medical care or the co-pays.

Along with top notch medical care from nurses and doctors, children can also receive educational programming by bilingual teachers and therapeutic services such as music therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy. Shriners Hospitals for Children also believes in caring for the entire family, so psychological services are available for parents and siblings to help cope with their individual situations. Our Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston has a partnership with Mass General Hospital in Boston, and all of their surgeries and procedures are provided by experienced, attending physicians from MGH. Aside from high quality patient care, this hospital is largely contributing to cancer and burn injury research studies, that will make a positive difference in the lives of others.

What I was so amazed at were even the little things that this hospital does to make a difference in a family’s life during these scary and difficult situations. Parking is free for patients and transportation from the subway or train station can also be arranged to the hospital for free as well, through their vast volunteer department.  The hospital here in Boston can arrange for housing in the area and possible meals, for families that are not from the local area or able to financially assume the responsibility. They will always do what’s in the best interest of the child, irregardless. These days even the little things can set facilities apart from one another, and I wish their unbelievable standard of care could be found in every medical facility.

When I spoke with the representatives from Shriners Hospitals for Children in Boston, I asked, as a parent, what can we do to help. Their response was not even financially driven by making a monetary donation, it was simply, “spread the word to friends and family members, that we are here to help.” Purely amazing. Parents can self-initiate referrals, so if something should happen to your child, friend or family member, encourage them to contact one of the Shriners Hospitals for Children locations for an intake.

We have been so blessed by many generous companies providing us with toys for giveaways and reviews that we wanted to help the Shriners Hospitals for Children in their efforts. So on behalf of ToyQueen.com, my family donated several new toys to the children at Shriners Hospitals for Children. If you would like to volunteer your time or make a donation, please contact Shriners Hospitals here.

As a disclosure, I have not received any compensation for the writing of this post. Photo credits to Derek Wilmot Photography.