Gillette Children's Fulfills Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation $600,000 Challenge Grant
With Match, more than $1.2 Million will Support Purchase of CT Scanner for Kids with Complex Medical Conditions
ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare announced it has fulfilled a Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation $600,000 challenge grant by raising more than $670,000. The grant will fund a mobile CT scanner that will give physicians, working with critical care patients, faster access to imaging information that informs diagnosis and treatment plans for patients.
To receive the funds for the challenge grant, Gillette independently raised $600,000 between Oct. 18, 2017 and Aug. 1, 2018. Once that donation threshold was met, the Schulze Family Foundation awarded Gillette an additional $600,000 grant to "match" the challenge.
Who it will help
The mobile CT scanner will help kids like Ashlyn, a Gillette patient, who sustained life-threatening injuries when a truck hit her family's car. Doctors at Gillette discovered severe swelling, bruising and bleeding in her brain, along with skull fractures and broken bones. Her parents feared for the worst, but prayed for the best, during her 12-day coma. When she awoke, they worried she would be different. They worried that her brain had sustained permanent damage.
Ashlyn's CT scan was critical to diagnosing and treating her brain injury. Now, thanks to the completion of the Schulze challenge grant, we have a unique opportunity to deliver even faster imaging results by with a mobile CT scanner. This technology would directly benefit children recovering from a traumatic injury or major surgery by providing important diagnostic technology at the bedside or the operating table.
"Had it not been for the amazing care she received at Gillette, Ashlyn would likely not be with us today. She most definitely would not be thriving as she is now," said Amanda Stombaugh, Ashlyn's mother. "Even though we've had the best outcome we could hope for, Ashlyn – or patients like her – is a perfect example of a child who could have benefitted from this type of equipment."
How it will help
The mobile CT scanner will be used to obtain imaging in time-critical situations for children who have disabilities as a result of complex neurological, trauma and spine conditions. When children are at their most vulnerable, time is of the essence. A mobile CT scanner means care delivered more quickly and without the added risk of moving a patient to a scanner elsewhere in the hospital, says Rachel Wobschall, Director of Principal Gifts at Gillette.
"This is a huge win for our clinical staff and those we treat," Wobschall said. "This technology will improve medical outcomes and truly help our patient population – many who have some of the most complex medical conditions. We can't thank the Schulze Family Foundation enough for supporting us through this endeavor."
Other benefits of the scanner include: reducing radiation exposure, eliminating the need to transfer patients from the operating room to the imaging center, decreased surgery time, reduced risk of error caused by disruptions for transport and reduced risk of infection.
"We are really excited to partner with the professionals at Gillette," said Mark Dienhart, President and CEO of the Schulze Family Foundation. "Their mission truly aligns with ours. Gillette is constantly and consistently working to reduce the suffering of their patients through advances in medical science."
Gillette plans to acquire and begin using the mobile CT system by the end of 2018.
SOURCE Gillette Children's Specialty Health Care
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