Walking into our hearts

The Spokane Shriners Hospital has 5 floors. The 5^th floor houses the OR and administrative offices like finance and performance improvement. The 4^th and 3^rd floors are home to patient care areas such as OPC, inpatient, rec therapy, social work, and nutrition. From the 5^th floor all the way down to the 1st floor with security and environmental services, all the staff had a singular experience, a singular unifying force.  This force was a 7-year-old boy from Gaza who stayed as a patient receiving prosthetic legs. His name was Wesseem, and “force” is an understatement.

Wesseem was born with a condition known as bilateral tibial hemimlia, a condition causing a malformation in his lower legs. Arrangements were made by the Washington State chapter of the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, a non-profit organization created “to address the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian youths in the Middle East.” Working with the care management team at the Spokane Shriners Hospital, arrangements were made to bring Wesseem and his mother, Sadia from their home in Gaza to Spokane with the goal of giving the young boy the ability to walk.

When mother and son arrived in Spokane, neither spoke a single word of English. As Wesseem recovered from the bilateral amputation surgery to prepare his legs to fit into custom prosthetics, the staff (nurses and security guards alike) took to teaching the lad English words and phrases. Soon his legs were healed enough to fit into his first pair of prosthetics. As Wesseem’s coordination improved, so did his English. His world expanded at the same rate as his vocabulary. Neither could keep pace, however, with the growth of his confidence. It wasn’t long before the entire hospital was introduced to a personality that would leave its mark long after he was reunited with his father and three siblings in Gaza.

With an open floor plan from ground to 5^th floor, the voice they would all come to know could be heard from anywhere in the hospital. At any point, anyone could know where he was just by listening. He raced his physical therapists down the halls, narrowly missing a nurse walking out of a room. She would smile affectionately as he sped away on his wheelchair at first…then a walker, then crutches and finally on his prosthetics without any help! Wesseem was nearing his dream of walking; of playing soccer with his friends.

Wesseem didn’t know was that as he was racing he was also learning. As he walked down to the security desk, only to call someone from the 5^th floor to bring him water, he was growing in skill and strength. Finally, he was ready. He had made new friends, nay, family and learned a new language. He learned to walk. Staff watched Wesseem walk out the front doors. Then, they did what they always do. They wiped away bittersweet tears of joy and pride and turned back to the inpatient rooms ready to give their hearts to the next child, just now checking in.

 

Spirit of Children Program raises $48, 300 dollars for

Shriners staff accept check from Spirit representatives. Left to right: Angelique Heinzen, Lorene Roullier, Kelli Marko, Carol Kaczka

Representatives from local and regional Spirit Halloween Stores visited the Spokane Shriners Hospital to present a check exceeding $48,000. Since 2006 (with an initial donation of just over $3,000), the local Spirit Halloween stores have supported the Spokane Shriners Hospitals through their Spirit of Children program during each Halloween season. The program donates 10% of sales to the hospital. Because of their generosity Spirit of Children Program has raised more than $153,095.00 for Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane to date! In 2014, the fundraising initiative broke a record, totaling $48,300!

The stores contributing parts of their sales to the Spokane Shriners Hospital included stores in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Coeur D’Alene, Lewiston, Kennewick, Yakima and Wenatchee .

The money raised by Spirit of Children stays local and goes directly to Child Life activities and needs. The Child Life/Recreation Therapy Department at Shriners Hospital specializes in pain management through play and distraction, rehabilitation through activity and life-skills development.

Teen Lounge after remodel made possible by Spirit of Children program

In 2014, the Spokane Hospital used funds donated from the program to renovate the “Teen Lounge” in the hospital. Shriners Hospital’s Child Life Department manager, Carol Kaczka said, “Spirit’s continued support has been extremely beneficial for our patients. It has helped in many ways to keep up patients’ spirits through the Spirit of Halloween.”

Kelli Marko, Regional Zone Manager for Spirit Halloween added “The Spirit of Children program is the heart and soul of our organization.  Our goal is to bring the joy of Halloween to children in hospitals across the country and support the Child Life Departments.  The Spokane Shriners Hospital is one of over 100 hospitals that were chosen to participate in the program that started in 2007.  Over 5.8 million dollars in donations were collected in 2014 and we look forward to exceeding that number in 2015! “

Expanded Orthotics and Prosthetics Services

Shriners Hospital for Children – Spokane is pleased to announce the addition of our new Orthotics and Prosthetics lab. We are excited to welcome Peter Springs, Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist to manage this new in-house service, caring for our patients who have limb deficiencies or bracing needs.

Peter will operate as a part of a new Shriners Hospitals for Children network of hospital-   based Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services, also known as POPS. Through the formation of POPS, these orthotic and prosthetic labs (operating as independent LLCs) utilize the same extensively experienced staff and advanced facilities to provide superior, leading edge O&P care to thousands of pediatric Shriners Hospital patients.

Peter Springs scans a patient’s torso and works with the resulting CAD image

We are fortunate to add Peter to our hospital family. As the only clinician in the Inland Northwest exclusively devoted to pediatric orthotic and prosthetic care, Peter has the experience and dedication to meet the unique needs of our pediatric patients. Following his residencies, Peter worked at Shriners Hospitals for Children – Salt Lake City for seven years. He has been in Spokane for more than three years, working with the Spokane Shriners Hospital as an outside provider. He is delighted to be working in a Shriners Hospital again, providing comprehensive and state-of-the-art care to patients.

CAD mock up of a torso brace with their x-ray overlaid.

The Spokane Hospital POPS lab provides the latest treatment and materials and utilizes the latest in CAD technology to design and fabricate custom orthotic and prosthetic devices for your growing child.

Providing this service in-house creates a more streamlined coordination of care. Peter and his team will be able communicate face to face with your child’s doctor and care team assuring your child receives the best possible outcome.

Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane continues to add specialty services focused on providing the region’s expert pediatric orthopaedic care. If you have any questions about our orthotics, prosthetics or bracing services, please contact Peter Springs at 509-455-7844.

A Family Tradition

The sun was shining in late September when over 100 guests gathered to witness an important moment at the Spokane Shriners Hospital – the dedication of a special room on behalf of Al and Ruth Sanft, an extraordinary couple who were among our most loyal friends during their lifetimes.

As part of the Naming Opportunities program, the Sanft children elected to honor the memory of their parents with a significant donation to designate the third floor gym The Al and Ruth Sanft Rehabilitation Gym.

Al and Ruth were life members of the Nile Temple and Daughters of the Nile, respectively. Their four children, Barrie, Brina, Louie and Nettie, continue Al and Ruth’s legacy of philanthropy while also commemorating their loving parents, who were lifelong benefactors of the Spokane Shriners Hospital. While Al and Ruth’s legacy of giving spanned 50 years, son Louie has been an advocate for the past quarter-century, with donations from fund-raisers and personal contributions totaling more than $150,000!

Through the continued support and generosity of families like these, the Spokane Shriners Hospital is able to continue its 90-year tradition of providing life-changing treatment pediatric orthopaedic specialty care.

On that September day, there was a palpable sense of excitement as the Sanft Family and guests listened to a grateful patient express his appreciation for the hospitality and care he had received at the Spokane Hospital and the ways in which his treatment has affected him – his spine straightened, his pain reduced, his life forever changed for the better.

Following a ribbon cutting and celebration of the newly-named Al and Ruth Sanft Rehabilitation Room, guests travelled to the WSU Shrine Football Game in Pullman, Washington, where Louie Sanft presented yet another check for the benefit of the Spokane Shriners Hospital.

To learn more about available opportunities to commemorate someone special in your life, contact Angelique Heinzen, Director of Development, by calling 509.252.3370 or at aheinzen@shrinenet.org

A Focus on Therapy

A Spokane Cerebral Palsy patient exercises on a special bike at the Shriners Hospital rehab gym. This bike is good for building strength and endurance while reducing the chance of injury from a fall.

Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane is constantly striving to improve the quality of care as well as the patient and family experience before, during and after their visit. One of the things that fulfill both of these aspirations is having as much of the total care package under one roof. This is why we have, not only the region’s experts in pediatric orthopaedic surgery, but we also have a fully inclusive rehabilitation services department. Within this department, the Spokane Shriners Hospital offers both physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT).

The distinction between OT and PT is subtle but important, the difference can be understood best as: OT involves regaining and assisting in fine motor skills while PT deals with gross motor skills. For example, in PT, a patient will work on larger movements such as walking. The Spokane Shriners Hospital has a fully equipped rehabilitation gym where our physical therapists conduct on-on-one supervised exercises with our patients.

In addition, their gait therapy may include stairs or hallway walking and might use assistive devices like crutches or walkers. In OT, they work on fine motor skills, upper extremities and ADLs (Activities of Daily Living). ADLs include routine tasks such as personal hygiene, getting dressed and going to the restroom.

Like the physical therapist, the occupational therapist will use stretches, exercises and possibly assistive devices to accomplish their goals. In both cases, the goal is the same: shorten recovery time, increase the effectiveness of treatment and improve the overall quality of life of our patients.

A football game and a hospital. A good thing? Yes!

By: Kristin Monasmith

Director of Public Relations — Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane

Every summer since 1947, the “best of the best” in Montana high school football have come together to play in the Montana East West All-star Football Shrine Game to support Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane.

68 years of Montana communities coming together for an amazing cause. 68 years of great Montana football. 68 years ago… the football game founders had no idea the game they started would turn out to be the longest continuous Shrine game in the U.S and one of the oldest high school all-star football games in the United States.

The three Shriner Temples from Montana; Algeria in Helena, Bagdad in Butte and Al Bedoo in Billings work together to organize this amazing event to support Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane. All told, the game has raised more than $1,000,000 for the Spokane Shriners Hospital. In 2013 the Montana Shrine Game raised $146,000, the top donation from a Shrine Football Game in the United States to date.

Each year, Montana high schools’ finest players are selected to compete in a game not only to raise money, but to also help raise awareness of the expert pediatric orthopaedic care at the Shriners Hospital in Spokane, Washington.

The Spokane Shriners Hospital hit a milestone in 2014, celebrating its 90^th year! For 90 years, Shriners Hospitals for Children ― Spokane has been providing expert orthopaedic care to kids from birth to age eighteen regardless of their ability to pay.

Addison Benson, the 2014 Shriner Game Ambassador on the golf course. Photo credit: Larry Mayer

The Spokane Shriners Hospital treats conditions ranging from serious orthopaedic issues requiring extended care and multiple surgeries, to simple fractures and sports injuries easily corrected through same-day surgery. In addition, what some people may not know is that patients also receive physical rehabilitation, radiology, lab services and casting all within the hospital.

Addison Benson, the 2014 Shrine Game creates a promo for the football game at KTVO

In order to provide the best in orthopaedic care for the kids in our region, the hospital’s medical staff includes four fellowship trained pediatric orthopaedic surgeons, a pediatric hospitalist and four orthopaedic physician assistants and five anesthesiologists, all experienced in pediatrics.

“When your child has an orthopaedic concern, what is most important is finding an expert who understands the needs of growing bones and joints,” says Dr. Bryan Tompkins, one of Shriners Hospital Spokane’s four pediatric orthopaedic surgeons.

What We Treat:

• Scoliosis
• Knee & hip disorders and injuries
• Foot & hand injuries/deformities
• Shoulder injuries
• Sports injuries
• Club foot
• Limb discrepancy/limb loss
• Fractures/dislocations (stable)
• Prosthetics & orthotics
• Cerebral Palsy
• Rehabilitation/therapy
• Gait Analysis Lab

“Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane has been treating kids with orthopaedic conditions for ninety years and we are definitely poised for the next ninety,” said Peter Brewer, Shriners Hospital Spokane Administrator. “We certainly could not do this without the support of our Shriners, communities and friends through events like the Montana East West Shrine Game, we are grateful for the support.”

The hospital treats kids from all over the state of Montana. Kids like Megan, who had spine surgery and went on to win a high school state title in the high jump… or Ryan, who couldn’t walk without pain for years, came to the Spokane Hospital, had surgery and will be attending college this Fall… or kids like this year’s Game Ambassador Addison (above) who runs, jumps and plays just like any other little six year old.

Getting kids back to being kids, that’s what the hospital is all about.

Access to care at the Spokane Shriners Hospital has never been easier. The hospital accepts most major insurance networks. But, whether or not a family has insurance has never been a factor, acceptance for care is based only on medical need.

Do you know a child we can help? If you would like more information or to would like to request an appointment, please call toll free: (888) 895-5951 or visit www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/spokane.

If you would like more information about the 2014 Montana East West Shrine Game and the event activities, please visit www.montanaeastwestshrinegame.org.

Honors for Outstanding Supporters

Shriners Hospitals for Children — Spokane was graced recently by three extremely generous contributions to our mission and our cause. Two bequests by members of both Calam and Nile Shriner Temples and a donation from the Country Fair Barbeque Ladies of the Tri-Cities totaled over $6 million! We are both grateful and humbled by the support of these groups. We wouldn’t be able to provide the expert care and nurturing environment to our incredible kids without their continued support or that of so many others in the community.

The Country Fair Barbeque Ladies have been supporting our hospital for 44 years. In that time, they have provided equipment which has been used for clinical care, innovative research, improved recoveries and, of course, for providing enjoyable stays that are fondly remembered by many children. Over 25 years ago, the group was responsible for funding the original equipment used in the Movement Analysis Laboratory in the Spokane Shriners Hospital (one of only 9 fully accredited such labs in the nation). The group later helped fund the “big toy” in the playground area. Most recently, they were honored for all their efforts by the hospital, naming the family waiting room in their honor.

Cliff (a member of the Calam Temple for over 50 years) & Elsie Lathen left a large bequest to the hospital system’s endowment fund. Chuck Wilder, a member of the Nile Temple for 45 years, also left a large bequest to the Spokane hospital. Their legacies will live on in the smiles of the children of our hospital for years to come. Their generosity was commemorated with medallions which were placed on the Philanthropic Society Wall in the entry to the Hospital.

We take great pride in providing the best in pediatric orthopaedics to our children in an environment where every patient and their family feel welcome and important. This requires having expert providers, outstanding nurses and cutting edge equipment. Most importantly, it requires people who truly love this hospital and its mission. For all this to come together, we rely heavily on the support of our community. We never cease to be amazed by the support we consistently receive. Thank you to all of you.

Shriners Hospital – Spokane receives nearly $50K for Vehicle

Shriners Hospitals for Children — Spokane received some extremely generous support from the Spokane Valley Shrine Club (part of the El Katif Shriners). Combined with some additional funds generated by the 20th Annual El Katif Duck Race, the nearly $50,000 allowed the Spokane Shriners Hospital to provide a company vehicle for their physician relations efforts. The 2014 GMC Envoy, purchased with the help of George Gee in Liberty Lake, is used when traveling to visit with local providers in outlying parts of the region the hospital serves, including Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Alberta and British Columbia.

One of the primary ways that the Spokane Shriners Hospital brings its message to different areas in its vast geographic region is by maintaining close relationships and educating medical care providers about the expert specialty care and the conditions that Shriners Hospital treats. These providers can then make informed decisions, knowing that the Spokane Shriners Hospital is a premier place to refer their kids with orthopaedic conditions.

Duane Cook, President of both the Spokane Valley Shrine Club and of the Duck Race said “we had this money set aside from our various fund raisers and wanted to make sure it went to a project that would have a big impact. We discovered that a reliable vehicle would immediately and meaningfully benefit this great organization and the families it serves.”

The donation of this vehicle will actually save the hospital money, allowing it to direct more resources to where they matter most: to the children. El Katif and the hospital’s other supporting temples, separate organizations from the hospital, already use fund raisers to maintain their transportation funds which assist patients who otherwise couldn’t afford transportation to the hospital for treatment. Now, in similar fashion, El Katif is helping the hospital reach these kids through closer relationships with their local providers.

To stay up to date on everything in the hospital, visit our Facebook and Twitter pages!

Congratulations to one of our own!

Shriners Hospitals for Children — Spokane would like to congratulate Dr. William Bronson M.D. for being recognized as one of the area’s top doctors in the Pediatric Orthopaedics category of the Best Doctors in America® 2014 list. Dr. Bronson was one of only 8 orthopaedic surgeons in the region recognized in the list published by Bozzi Media in their March 2014 issue of Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Living Magazine. He is also the only orthopaedic surgeon recognized in the list that specializes in pediatrics.
Dr. William Bronson has been a consulting surgeon at the hospital since 1992 but joined the staff as a full time surgeon early in 2013. Dr. Bronson is a board certified Orthopaedic Surgeon with fellowship training in pediatric orthopaedics; his interests include general pediatric orthopaedics and spinal surgery.
Congratulations to Dr. Bronson and to the rest of the doctors in the “Best Doctors of 2014” list! Thank you all for providing such great care to the patients you treat!

Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane Performs NEW Procedure for Limb Lengthening Treatment

Paul M. Caskey, M.D., Chief of Staff at Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane, is the first in the Shriners Hospital system, first in Spokane, Washington and only the third in Washington State to perform a leg lengthening procedure using the innovative “PRECICE Intramedullary Leg Lengthening System”.

Treatment of limb length discrepancy is a common procedure at the Spokane Shriners Hospital.  Some limb length discrepancies are congenital, or present at birth.  Other discrepancies can develop after a fracture, infection, tumor or other injury which results in loss of bone or damage to the growth plate. As the child continues to grow, the limb length discrepancy may slowly increase.

A femur (thigh bone) fracture resulted in a growth plate injury leaving 13 year old Miriam Ramirez with a fairly severe leg length discrepancy. Treatment options available for this teen, who has completed her growth, include observation, use a shoe lift, shorten the longer femur or lengthen the short femur.  She was hesitant to have the shorter limb lengthened because she did not want to wear the external fixation device that is typically used for this type of surgery.  The external fixation devices are rings or rods that surgically connect to the bone using pins or wires that go from outside the leg, through the skin and into the bone.  When Miriam came to Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane, she had actually decided to have her longer femur shortened.

Dr. Caskey presented Miriam with another option – a new procedure – where the PRECICE internal lengthening rod would be surgically implanted into her femur bone. Once the rod is implanted the lengthening occurs when a hand held External Remote Controller (ERC) unit is activated directly over the implant to gradually lengthen the inserted rod and the bone.

Rare earth magnets inside the rod communicate with the ERC and allow the Shriners Hospital physicians to modify the length of the rod and femur slowly over time. The lengthening phase usually starts about five days after surgery.  Miriam was taught how to safely use the ERC to make the rod and thus the bone a small amount longer each day (usually about 1 millimeter each day). The PRECICE implant holds the bone ends in alignment and stabilizes the femur being lengthened until the body makes new bone to fill in the gap. The goal was to increase the length of her femur by 6 cm, which would take approximately 65 days.

When the bone has reached its goal length, the new bone forming between the bone ends is left to  “consolidate”, that is heal.  This healing process usually takes an additional 2 to 3 months after the length has been obtained before Miriam can return to full activity.

“Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane is the leader in pediatric orthopaedic medical delivery in the Spokane region. The PRECICE rod provides an alternative to the external fixation device for lower extremity limb lengthening for patients that are closer to maturity and have bones large enough to accommodate the device,” Dr. Caskey stated. “Miriam’s recovery and outcome have proceeded as planned; her femur was lengthened 6 cm and she has retained excellent motion of her knee and was comfortable enough to want to walk without crutches while the bone was still being lengthened. We are pleased with the results and look forward to treating more kids with leg length discrepancy with the PRECICE procedure.”

When Dr. Caskey first suggested the PRECICE surgery, Miriam said “It scared me a little bit, but we felt this would be the best option for me.”  She has great hopes for the outcome and added, “Running has been hard for me as I have grown. I hope next year I can join a soccer team!”

Miriam is only required to use the magnet for 2.5 minutes, three times a day resulting in a millimeter of length each day.  She needed to use crutches and avoid putting weight on her leg during the growth stage, but she was able to go about her daily life, something quite important to a teenager.  In addition, the proprietary magnet technology can also be used to shorten the bone if necessary.

“Miriam had anxiety about the procedure, but I knew everything would be fine, the treatment she has received at Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane has been so wonderful,” Her mom shared. “This new procedure will definitely make such a difference in her life, Miriam looks forward to sharing her experience with other Spokane Shriners patients.”