Golisano Children's Hospital

Today, NYS expands #vaccine eligibility to people 16 and older. Dr. Elizabeth Murray explains why getting college and high school-aged students is so important. 13 WHAM ABC https://13wham.com//what-to-know-as-vaccine-eligibility-ex

Should pregnant people get the #COVID vaccine? Dr. Thornburg shares what she tells all of her patients who are pregnant...

During #AutismAcceptanceMonth, it’s critical to recognize the importance of Early Intervention (EI) services, for autism and other developmental conditions. A recent poll found that more than 60 percent of New York parents were concerned that their children had lost developmental and emotional skills during the pandemic. Let’s provide early support for children to build a brighter future!

It’s Thankful Thursday! April is Occupational Therapy (OT) month! Occupational therapists work with children of all ages, from premature babies to young adults, to promote development, facilitate meaningful participation in every day tasks, and to help regain independence after an illness or injury. We are so thankful for our OT team and the incredible care they continue to give their patients!

A patient at our hospital, Ethan, was an extraordinary boy with immense talent. Cleats designed by Ethan carried Green Bay’s Aaron Jones to his 77-yard touchdown run. The longest of Jones’ career. We grieve with Ethan’s family and friends for their tremendous loss.

The Pediatric Tracheostomy/Ventilator Program at GCH is beyond grateful to the team at Ide Honda and Ide Volkswagen, and their patrons. These individuals stepped forward to provide a much needed support; robust backpacks, to carry lifesaving emergency supplies for kids who rely on assistive technology. Organization and preparedness are of the utmost importance for the day to day activities of these special children, and we are proud to have the support of a great community through Dick Ide Honda and Volkswagen. Thank you for making a difference!

Our Music Therapy Program team loves the holidays. Usually, they host a few holiday music sing-a-long groups with patients and families. Unfortunately, they weren't able to do that this year. Instead, our team banded together and hosted mini concerts! This was a wonderful way to bring some holiday cheer to our hardworking staff and patients.

It's Thankful Thursday! Some of our Pediatric OR nurses, pictured here, joined the Long Term Care nursing team to support a separate unit in Strong Memorial Hospital. They assist with patient care as needed, going above and beyond every day!

Your generous donations continued through the holiday weekend and we are so grateful! Thank you to the employees from Danforth and to Hickory Ridge!

Congratulations to the Roberts Wesleyan College Redhawks for winning the 2021 DII Award of Excellence! Led by student-athletes, their monthlong fundraiser, culminated with the final basketball doubleheader of the season in February of 2020, raised more than $10,000 for Golisano Children's Hospital. Before Covid, the basketball team spent the afternoon with our little ones prior to their 2nd Annual GCH Benefit Game. We are so grateful! Read more about the award here: https://fal.cn/3cQyP

Thank you to the Tyler Strong Foundation for gifting $2,400 in honor of Tyler's 24th birthday! We also wanted to thank the staff and students at Batavia Central School District for donating over $1,000 worth of iTunes gift cards! Both of these generous donations support our Music Therapy Program. This program is funded through donations like these. Learn how you can support our program by visiting https://fal.cn/3csFb.

We are stronger together. #MLK2021

Anxiety and stress levels are high as we cope with the pandemic’s daily challenges. Take a moment for yourself today and watch as Therapist Melissa Nunes-Harwitt shares a simple technique to ease your racing mind and provide relief.

We are thrilled to partner with The Training Grounds for a holiday toy drive this year from October 10 to December 5. Please see the flyer for more details on how to contribute!

Our last Good Night Lights of the year was nothing short of spectacular! Thank you to the Rochester NY Police Department, University of Rochester Department of Public Safety, First Responders and our Child Life Department for celebrating the winter holidays with our kids all December long!

Bidding for the Virtual Gala silent auction begins this afternoon! Registration is free: givetokids.urmc.edu/Gala. Here are a few of the pictured items available: -I Love NY Basket: NYS wine, local products, and a gift certificate for two to register for a hands on cooking class or beverage pairing class of their choice. -Two Hour Charter for 8 people at Seager Marina -Crayola basket... Registration will be open the rest of the week, but join today to get a first opportunity to bid on these items and more!

The virtual #GCHGala2020 is less than two weeks away! Have you registered for the silent auction? Registration is free, and you'll have the opportunity to bid on several amazing items, including several items from Amazon and even a margarita basket! Visit givetokids.urmc.edu/Gala by Sunday to register to bid.

This October, in honor of Infant Loss Awareness Month, the Honoring Owen Book Collection is once again recognizing other families who have lost someone by donating a book in their memory. The Honoring Owen Book Collection was established in memory of Owen Hochreiter, who was born with a rare disorder and passed away when he was just eight days old. The Hochreiter family has since donated hundreds of books to our resource library. To have a book donated in your loved ones' mem...ory, submit their name at http://fal.cn/SdQ0. Each book will feature a dedication nameplate with the name of your loved one, and will be added to our library. You can also stop by the Barnes & Noble on Elmwood Ave, adjacent to the URMC campus, to purchase a book for the GCH library from their collection, as the Hochreiter family did this past week.

Thank you to the Pirate Toy Fund for bringing joy to children and families at GCH by sponsoring a Chalking for Children event on the sidewalk this past week. Children and families were able to watch the artwork unfold from their windows. We are also thankful for them sending in care bags for each of the children!

A week from today: you will hear the about the amazing stories of our 2020 Miracle Kids during this year's virtual Gala, which will be aired on 13WHAM on October 30, 7-8 p.m. Don't forget to sign up for the silent auction! The bidding begins on Sunday and registration is free: givetokids.urmc.edu/Gala

Special thanks to our amazing volunteers - Kim McCluski, Ann Pettinella and Pam Giambrone - who put together some great gift baskets that will be featured in our silent auction. Don't miss the opportunity to bid on all of the incredible silent auction items. Registration is free! Bidding opens on Sunday, October 25th at 5 p.m. - Register today at givetokids.urmc.edu/gala.

Thanks to Miracle Kid mom Julie Prest, and Miracle Kid Zach Losee, for arranging for an ice cream truck to serve our clinicians and staff on Sunday evening! This was done to commemorate the two-year anniversary of Zach's heart transplant, which was done at Columbia University Medical Center after his condition was stabilized here at GCH.

Did you know there is a chaplain dedicated to working with the kids and families at Golisano Children’s Hospital? We thought with this being #NationalClergyMonth (and yesterday being #ClergyAppreciationDay), it’s a good time to get to know Chaplain Maurice Hopkins and what he wants you to know about his role here.

At URMC, we aspire to make every person feel safe and supported, regardless of identity or the challenges they face. If you work here, come here for care, or ar...e visiting a loved one, we want you to feel welcome. We’ve developed a plan to help us eliminate racism, division and exclusion within our walls and throughout the Rochester community. We know we have a long way to go, and we are committed to doing the work. Learn more: https://fal.cn/3aMHN. #URMCActionPlan See more

Nearly 100 caregivers helped Miracle Kid Eliyah Perry overcome multiple congenital defects at birth. Now, she is living a happy life with her parents Kurtis and Jeshurun at home. Tune into Channel 13, 7-8 p.m., on October 30th to learn more about Eliyah, as well as more stories about our Miracle Kids during our virtual Gala!

Happy #PediatricNursesWeek to our fantastic nurses, who have continued to provide the highest quality of care to our children through all the challenges 2020 has thrown at them!

The virtual Gala is a month away! Join us on 13 WHAM ABC, October 30, 7-8 p.m., for a recap of the amazing stories that happened in the past year and the exciting plans we have for the future. We extend our gratitude to our generous major sponsors of this year’s Gala, and we will recognize more sponsors in the coming weeks. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, visit givetokids.urmc.edu/gala for information.

In the latest episode of the GCH "Pat Chat", pediatric chair Patrick Brophy discusses the hospital's recent distinction as an Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center with Jennifer Johnson, director of family and community outreach. GCH is one of only four institutions to have this distinction, and it will result in increased funding for research and technology to help children with Intellectual or Development Disabilities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qot9fpxc3xI