CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF WISCONSIN OPENS NEW FACILITIES FOR TREATMENT OF CANCER AND BLOOD DISORDERS

MILWAUKEE, April 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin announced the opening of its new MACC Fund Center clinic and Northwestern Mutual Day Hospital. The new home for children with cancer and blood disorders will support and continue to improve survivorship and quality of life through excellence of care, research and education.

"Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is grateful for its long standing partnership with the MACC Fund, an organization exceptionally dedicated to children with cancer and blood disorders," said Peggy Troy, CEO, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. "Through the support of the MACC Fund and Northwestern Mutual, we are able to continue our mission to advance diagnosis and treatments, provide excellence in clinical care, expand training and research efforts, and improve access and outcomes."

MACC FUND CENTER CLINIC AND NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL DAY HOSPITAL
The new care areas on the fifth floor of Children's Hospital are co-located with the MACC Fund Center inpatient unit and critical care unit. Designed with the help of 10 former MACC Fund Center patients and their families, the renovation features a 10,384 square foot clinic with the latest technology for improved care delivery, 18 exam rooms and a neuropsychiatric testing suite. The 10,329 square foot day hospital includes an activities center, 14 private infusion suites, and a specialized chemotherapy pharmacy.

This facility is designed to deliver cutting-edge treatments and provide a promising future to children with cancer. The innovative space will deliver life-saving care to more patients in an outpatient setting and support the needs of the entire family. The activities center will offer an environment of emotional support while care is delivered, and where patients and families may engage in play and educational activities led by specially trained staff.

The new day hospital aligns with Northwestern Mutual's mission to accelerate the search for a cure to childhood cancer and provide support for families impacted by the disease. "We are proud to introduce the Northwestern Mutual Day Hospital, which will enable the doctors, nurses and staff to provide a best-in-class experience to the patients and their families, integrating technology and support services," said John Kordsmeier, president of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation. "When a child receives a cancer diagnosis, the family does as well. We want to help ensure that when a family is undergoing treatment, they have a family-friendly environment that allows kids to be kids."

Paul Knoebel, chair of the MACC Fund's Board of Directors and a member of the Board of Directors of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, noted, "With nearly 40 years of fighting childhood cancer, the MACC Fund is thrilled about the new space for the MACC Fund Center at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. The new clinic and Northwestern Mutual Day Hospital located within the MACC Fund Center will offer children the best state-of-the-art care, adding to an already well-established, nationally renowned cancer treatment facility. Children battling cancer and blood disorders deserve the best care – at the MACC Fund Center, we're proud to provide that for them."

The MACC Fund Center at Children's Hospital, which is nationally recognized by both Parents magazine and U.S. News & World Report, provides access to key resources and related specialties, the most efficient, personalized and comprehensive care. It also has a number of specialized programs and clinics to treat a variety of pediatric cancers and blood disorders. 

Children's Hospital of Wisconsin MACC Fund Center
Since the program began in 1980:

• More than 5,000 children have received care through the Oncology Program, which provides highly specialized treatment for a variety of childhood cancers and conducts novel research. Children's Hospital is the only children's hospital in the state designated as a Phase I Center by Children's Oncology Group, an award given to just 21 centers nationwide. This means children benefit from cutting-edge clinical research trials, and the clinical team is at the forefront of discovering new therapies.
• More than 1,000 children have received blood and marrow transplants. The Blood and Marrow Transplant Program is internationally recognized for its expertise in allogeneic transplant, including unrelated donor blood and marrow transplants for a variety of childhood cancers and hematologic disorders. With this gift, the program will improve and expand research related to understanding the immune system and how to harness immune cells to fight cancer and reduce transplant-related mortality.
• And each year, 300 children are actively managed for sickle cell disease and 250 new patients are treated for other blood disorders. The Hematology Program offers comprehensive services for the treatment of children, adolescents and adults with acute and chronic blood disorders.

About Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is the region's only independent health care system dedicated solely to the health and well-being of children. The hospital, with locations in Milwaukee and Neenah, Wis., is recognized as one of the leading pediatric health care centers in the United States. It is ranked No. 4 in the nation by Parents magazine and ranked in all 10 specialty areas in U.S. News & World Report's 2014-15 Best Children's Hospitals report. Children's provides primary care, specialty care, urgent care, emergency care, community health services, foster and adoption services, child and family counseling, child advocacy services and family resource centers. In 2013, Children's invested more than $105 million in the community to improve the health status of children through medical care, advocacy, education and pediatric medical research. Children's achieves its mission in part through donations from individuals, corporations and foundations and is proud to be a member of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. For more information, visit the website at chw.org.

About the MACC Fund
The MACC Fund, Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, Inc., supports translational research in the MACC Fund Center at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and scientific research at the Medical College of Wisconsin in the MACC Fund Research Center and at the University of Wisconsin's Carbone Cancer Center in the MACC Fund Childhood Cancer Research Wing of the Wisconsin Interdisciplinary Medical Research Center. Since its inception in 1976, the MACC Fund has contributed over $52 million for pediatric cancer and blood disorder research for diseases like aplastic anemia and sickle cell. The overall cure rate for childhood cancer has risen from 20 percent to 80 percent during this time with the MACC Fund's support playing an important role in that progress. Children can relapse and have "late effect" issues however, which require continued research. Visit www.maccfund.org for more information.

About Northwestern Mutual Foundation 
The mission of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation is to improve the lives of children and families in need. The Foundation has given nearly $270 million since its inception in 1992 and is designed to create lasting impact in the communities where the company's employees and financial representatives live and work. We accomplish this by combining financial support, volunteerism, thought leadership and convening community partners to deliver the best outcomes. Our efforts are focused nationally on curing childhood cancer, and locally on education, neighborhoods and making our hometown of Milwaukee a great destination.

About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual has been helping families and businesses achieve financial security for nearly 160 years. Our financial representatives build relationships with clients through a distinctive planning approach that integrates risk management with wealth accumulation, preservation and distribution. With $230 billion in assets, $27 billion in revenues, nearly $90 billion in assets under management, and more than $1.5 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than 4.2 million people who rely on us for insurance and investment solutions, including life, disability income and long-term care insurance; annuities; trust services; mutual funds; and investment advisory products and services. Northwestern Mutual is recognized by FORTUNE magazine as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2015.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI, and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual and its subsidiaries offer a comprehensive approach to financial security solutions including: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, annuities, life insurance with long-term care benefits, investment products, and advisory products and services. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, limited purpose federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company.

SOURCE Children's Hospital of Wisconsin

Related Links

www.chw.org