Every parent goes through the stage where they feel like a day doesn’t go by without a bump or a bruise. As children age, they develop physically, cognitively and behaviorally.  Understanding these developmental stages is the key to preventing unintentional childhood injury. That is what National Safe Kids Week 2009 is all about.

Safe Kids USA recently released the first-ever safety report to combine specific age-appropriate safety tips with research on cognitive, behavioral and physical abilities and limitations to support why certain safety precautions are critical. (more…)

Here at Children’s Hospital we are carefully monitoring the swine flu situation. If your child is displaying flu-like symptoms, the Public Health Department has advised that you remain at home and contact your pediatrician or primary care physician.

Please do NOT bring your child to the Emergency Department unless one of the following is true:
1.    Your child is under 1 year of age.
2.    Your child has a chronic illness (Ex: diabetes, cancer, asthma, heart disease)
3.    A temperature of >102.

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We are carefully monitoring the swine flu situation as it unfolds.

Currently there are no confirmed cases of swine flu in our hospitals or anywhere else in the state. However, experts predict that there may be some confirmed cases in Wisconsin in the near future. With that in mind, measures are in place to continue to provide the best and safest care for our patients and families while protecting our staff as well.

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“I feel that the greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.” – Jonas Salk

I first heard about the Beads of Courage program a short while after I began as the interim patient care manager on the Hematology, Oncology and Transplant Unit (LINK). Not only did the staff express a strong interest in the program, but there was one particular father of a patient who advocated heavily for the inception of the program. He said to me, “I know that someday we may not continue to win the battle against cancer, but we always will have these beads to tell his story.” He continued to tell me how during the holidays, as various family members hosted holiday gatherings, they each displayed the beads in some way; on the Christmas tree, fireplace mantle or among the buffet.

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National Volunteer Week runs through Saturday, April 25. We thank our volunteers for their hard work and commitment throughout the year!

Across the country, nonprofits have seen the number of volunteer applications increase due to the current economy. With the unemployment rate in Wisconsin rising to 9.4 percent this month, many people are volunteering to share their skills and talents. A recent survey conducted by the Volunteer Center of Greater Milwaukee and the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee found that 32 percent of area organizations are receiving more volunteers who are out of work.

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