Mary Bridge Children's Hospital

Construction of the new Mary Bridge Children's Hospital is set to be completed in late 2025 and open to patients in early 2026. "The ability to have a standalone children's hospital is really important for this community. To have that under one roof and have everything be pediatric focused, is a great benefit for our community, for our patients, and families,” said Benjamin Whitworth, FACHE, chief operating officer of Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital.

Our nurses embody the heart and soul of pediatric care at Mary Bridge Children’s and their work makes a lasting positive impression on each family in their care. We 💜 our nurses. Happy Pediatric Nurses Week! https://multica.re/3BzkbQN

Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital is proud to have five remarkable pediatric nurses who have been recognized with a DAISY Award in the past six years. Here’s what their patients, families and colleagues had to say about them: https://multica.re/3BzkbQN

Thank you to each of our nurses for the incredible dedication and care you show to our patients and families every day. https://multica.re/3BzkbQN

Often an initial point of contact, pediatric nurses shape how a child will think about their health and care experience. Nurses make intimidating procedures feel more approachable and extend their compassion beyond patients to embrace the needs of each family. https://multica.re/3BzkbQN

Pediatric Nurses Week, Oct. 7-12, is an opportunity to shine a light on the differences these professionals make at MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s: https://multica.re/3BzkbQN

“This event is a fantastic opportunity to let kids be kids in the midst of their cancer treatment or lifelong hematologic care,” says Kristen Bishop, MS, CCLS, senior child life specialist. “Part of my job is to normalize and encourage play opportunities as it is vital to learning, growing and healing for both kids and adults. Getting to run around with your doctors and nurses and medical team is a great way to engage in play. Our staff enjoys seeing kids and families outside of the walls of the hospital, and everyone benefits from a fun summer activity together.”

Meet Liam, a Mary Bridge Children’s patient ambassador and self-declared shark ambassador. Since 2021, Liam has proudly held the record for the most shark dives completed by a non-staff member at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, a 12-time champion beating out the 22,000 divers that have entered the tank since 2013. The title is both galvanizing and a source of strength, especially with his sensory needs. “Shark diving for him has been a huge calming and empowering effort,” says Liam’s mom Bev. “The deep underwater pressure is very regulating.” Read more of Liam's story: https://multica.re/3XJV3y6

The cross section between my work as a Human Centered Designer and my role as mother and caregiver to a daughter diagnosed with childhood cancer looks like this: How might we support more children and their families who are going through an intense and terrifying time of diagnosis and treatment for life-threatening conditions? How might we turn something scary into something positive for young patients and their families? One way we want to help is by bringing a Philips "Kitten Scanner" to the new Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. A Kitten Scanner is a miniature scanner device that helps kids experience and understand imaging procedures in a playful way, reducing their anxiety and fear of the otherwise intimidating machines. Diagnostic procedures (CT, MRI etc) are so crucial for getting the right treatment as quickly as possible-- AND, it doesn't have to be a traumatic thing. Would you consider joining The Elowyn Effect as we work toward bringing a Kitten Scanner to MultiCare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital?-- This is about helping kids, like my daughter Elowyn, have a more positive experience on days that might otherwise be one of the worst days in their young lives. We're deeply honored and grateful to see our daughter's legacy continue through this effort. We see it as Elowyn giving a big hug to each young patient who will experience the Kitten Scanner at the new Mary Bridge Children's for years to come. Link to fundraiser in comments. Thanks to a generous friend of Elowyn, there's currently a matching grant that is DOUBLING all donations up to $20,000. Today is a great day to make an IMPACT!

Mary Bridge Children's Hospital enrolls patients in Project Every Child, a registry open to all pediatric cancer patients, which monitors the effects of cancers, conducts specialized testing and tracks clinical trial options. This helps both current and future advances in childhood cancer developments towards a cure. The pediatric cancer research cooperative gathers data on pediatric cancer patients from across the country to come up with the best protocols for each type of cancer, said Vanessa Tolbert, MD, a Mary Bridge pediatric oncologist. “Pediatric cancer is rare,” she said, “no one place gets enough research to move it forward, so we coordinate across the country for research and trials to guide treatment. So, whether you’re diagnosed in Alabama, or here, you get the same treatment.”