I am Proof - Snapshot Brochure

To the Friends of St. Louis Children’s Hospital:

Today, more than any time in our history, children diagnosed with serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and respiratory conditions can survive and thrive. Babies born earlier than ever thought possible can grow and develop. We can perform surgeries and offer treatments that did not exist a decade ago.

At St. Louis Children’s Hospital, our patients are proof of this incredible progress—of lifesaving discoveries, advanced facilities, and world-class care that is made possible by our community of donors. Still, the questions that remain—the next challenges to be confronted—are among the most difficult.

• How can we improve survival rates for the most complex, resistant, and rare diseases?

• How can we diagnose and care for children earlier, before they reach the moment of needing our hospital?

• How can we transform outcomes for our most vulnerable children and St. Louis’ most underserved communities?

For the first time, we believe the pieces are in place to answer these questions. Recognizing this, our hospital is proud to lead a bold effort to invest in the most promising opportunities for pediatric patients: I AM PROOF, a campaign for St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

On behalf of the youth who count on St. Louis Children’s Hospital, we invite you to join us in creating this exciting future.

With deepest gratitude,

John Stupp, Jr. & Chrissy Taylor

Campaign Co-Chairs

Lebo, 15 St. Louis Children’s Champion

that RESEARCH FUNDED BY YOU LEADS TO TREATMENTS AND CURES.

Some research explores the root causes of disease—how our body works at its most basic cellular level. Other research emphasizes bedside care. Our Children’s Discovery Institute (CDI), a collaboration between St. Louis Children’s Hospital, its Foundation, and WashU Medicine, is specially designed to do both.

By bringing together the nation’s largest concentration of physician-scientists who hold both an MD and PhD, we can rapidly translate lab findings into better care. As one of the few pediatric teaching hospitals in the country, WashU Medicine physicians can take learnings from patient care back to research. This uniquely positions St. Louis Children’s Hospital to deliver new breakthroughs faster and identify new research avenues sooner. For children with life-threatening diseases, every moment matters.

Camille, 11

ACCELERATING DISCOVERY THROUGH EARLY INVESTMENT

Research breakthroughs are high reward. They can reshape treatments and cure diseases. Yet, early-stage research is often passed over by traditional funders. Despite receiving most of our funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the organization tends to favor conservative approaches over high-risk, high-reward ideas. And only 2–4% of the NIH budget supports pediatric research. This is why St. Louis Children’s Hospital seeks to partner with bold donors: individuals who recognize the power of flexible, early investments and are ready to seed new ideas. These early gifts are like a launch pad, allowing researchers to demonstrate proof of concept, which is key to securing larger external grants.

Children’s Discovery Institute Return on Investment

Your support will advance the following pursuits:

Expand the Children’s Discovery Institute to at least 10 Centers of Excellence focused on specific childhood diseases

Apply the CDI’s strengths and speed to complex, rare, and undiagnosed conditions

Increase external research funding to expedite treatments and cures

THAT YOU BRING EXPERT CARE INTO OUR COMMUNITY.

At St. Louis Children’s Hospital, we believe that families in every zip code should be able to access the care they need for their kids—from the earliest point of prevention to the most intense crisis. Backed by world-class WashU physicians and research-scientists, we have the opportunity to ensure that children here are among the healthiest in the nation.

To do this, we must reach beyond the walls of our hospital and bring expert care into communities throughout our region. We must treat and care for our kids where they live, play, and learn. Through the I AM PROOF campaign, donors will build a system that surrounds our youth with the resources they need to flourish—from their day cares and schools to their homes and neighborhoods.

Local Investments, National Impact

Investments here will have national influence. St. Louis Children’s Hospital has long been a role model for community health programs, especially for underserved and under-resourced neighborhoods. Consider our fleet of mobile health units, Healthy Kids Express, which includes the nation’s first-ever mobile care program for pediatric diabetes. Healthy Kids Express services are entirely funded by donors—proof that your generosity makes a profound impact on our region. Thanks to your gifts, our nurses, community health team members, and asthma coaches provide free, nationally ranked care for kids in St. Louis and beyond.

Your support will advance the following pursuits:

Expand our community health care programs to diagnose and treat before serious issues develop

Target at-risk children by providing virtual and embedded behavioral health services in 54 area schools— free of charge—to prevent or mitigate mental illness

Reduce barriers to world-class health care, no matter where our patients and families call home

THAT YOU EMPOWER COMPASSIONATE, WHOLE-FAMILY CARE.

Children heal better when all of their needs— emotional, family, and social—are met.

Wraparound services for families are more than “nice to haves”—they are essential to providing world-class care. These resources are necessary to accelerate healing, to achieve the best patient outcomes, and to make St. Louis Children’s Hospital a global destination for pediatric health care.

Through this campaign, donors will help deliver compassionate care that purposefully embraces families, that focuses on emotional well-being in addition to treatment or symptom management, and that ultimately leads to better outcomes and healthier futures.

It’s More than comfort, it’s crucial care

Programs like the Center for Families, which is available 24/7 and provides quiet areas, laundry machines, shower facilities, and access to snacks and coffee, play a vital role in meeting families’ physical and emotional needs while their child is in the hospital. Research has shown accommodations such as these measurably improve family coping and resiliency during pediatric hospitalization.

Your support will advance the following pursuits:

Expand and modernize our child– and family–friendly spaces for respite and play to promote healing

Provide patients and families with comprehensive support at and beyond the bedside

Recruit and retain highly skilled staff and physicians dedicated to compassionate care throughout a child’s life

Baby Ray, 10

St. Louis Children’s Champion

#1 Children’s HOSPITAL IN MISSOURI

For 17 consecutive years, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and its physician partners at WashU Medicine have been ranked among America’s Best Children’s Hospitals. St. Louis Children’s Hospital is nationally ranked in all 11 pediatric specialties evaluated by the report—more than any pediatric hospital in the region— exemplifying its extraordinary breadth of expertise.

St. Louis Children’s currently ranks as the ninth largest children’s hospital in the U.S. and serves more than 273,000 children annually from every state and more than 80 countries around the world.