August 12, 2015
A bridge of healing Recipes
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Fresh takes on kids’ favorites
Community Voices
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By Sandra M. Norman
Ashton, 9 months, a patient at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital participates in the 2014 Kids Dog Walk. Ashton had never been outside before coming to Ranken Jordan.
Photo courtesy Brian Spurgeon
Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital in Maryland Heights has a long history of helping kids
Business
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HBA Donates $15,000
By Sara Hardin ‘Laughter is the best medicine’ is a familiar saying to many, and the people at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital have a very similar philosophy when it comes to helping children recover from even the most serious of illnesses and injuries. By encouraging play and making time for normal, daily activities, Ranken Jordan takes the focus away from a child’s sickness in an effort to revitalize their quality of life. “We have a philosophy called ‘Care Beyond the Bedside,’” said Tyler Mathews, Ranken Jordan Director of Marketing and Website Marketing. “We strongly believe that getting kids out of their beds and doing as many kid-friendly, normal activities as possible is directly linked to their recovery time. When they come here and they get to play with other kids and do fun things out of their bed, we start to see rapid progress.” The hospital, initially founded and operated out of the Ladue home of Mary Ranken Jordan and her husband Clay Jordan, was open in 1941 to take in children suffering from polio, tuberculosis and osteomyelitis who weren’t well enough to make the immediate transition to home from the hospital. To this day, Ranken Jordan functions as a bridge from hospital to home.
“Back in the 40s, polio was running rampant; there were a lot of kids who were affected by polio, but there weren’t a lot of places for them to heal. Mary Ranken Jordan was very ahead of her time, and saw that need in the community. It was really, very innovative for the time,” said Mathews. “She took these kids into her home and let them do normal kid activities and got them dressed every day. We still do that same thing; we believe it’s really important for kids to feel like they’re not sick.” Ranken Jordan moved to the Maryland Heights area in 2004, and will be celebrating its 75th year in 2016. The 62,000 square-foot facility currently holds 34 in-patient beds. A plan to double the size of the hospital is in the works. “We love living in and being a part of this community – it is amazing,” said Ranken Jordan CEO Lauri Tanner. “We love this community, we love our neighbors. Everyone has really embraced this organization. We are excited to be able to expand; we have a waitlist of children who need this level of care. We are oneof-a-kind in the county, and we believe that we’re on to something in terms of taking care of a medically complex child, because we’re now saving kids
who wouldn’t have made it before. We think we’re blazing a trail to provide the best care possible for these kids.” In an effort to care for as many children as possible, several fundraising events are held by Ranken Jordan throughout the year. On Sept. 12, their annual Kids Dog Walk will be held on the hospital grounds, where kids and their families can participate in a 5k with their furry See HEALING page 2
Over the Fence
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The rewards of children
Movie: “Shaun the Sheep”
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