Through a special "sister hospital" relationship with Guangzhou Women and Children's Hospital, Children's Mercy is making a difference in the quality of care for children half a world away from our home base in Kansas City. Children's Mercy also has a relationship with the Zhujiang, or Pearl River, Hospital, also in Guangzhou. We are pursuing an opportunity of a formal management/consultative services agreement with our colleagues there as they continue to construct a brand-new 300-bed children's hospital to complement the nearby 24-story 2,000-bed.

As part of these relationships, Children's Mercy is sharing its expertise in such issues as Child Life, Quality Improvement, medical education, nursing education, psycho-social care and health care management. The relationship began in 2003 and, since then, Children's Mercy has hosted at least 20 Chinese physicians, several administrative fellows and two nurses at Children's Mercy. Likewise, over the years, about 20 Children's Mercy physicians, nurses and administrators have traveled to China to learn and share. And, Children's Mercy recently added Guangzhou, China, as a rotation within the hospital's residency program.

In China, most hospital administrators have outstanding clinical skills but are eager to gain core business and leadership skills. This is where Children's Mercy's CEO Randall L. O'Donnell, PhD, has had a significant influence. He has made several trips to Guangzhou, each time spending hours giving lectures, teaching, training and encouraging Guangzhou's administrators, physicians and nurses with his insights on leadership development, the psychosocial aspects of patient care and the business of health care.

In fact, Dr. O'Donnell was the first American CEO of a children's hospital invited to the Chinese's pediatric CEO conference. His presentation, along with his usual positive, encouraging style, was so well received that, in 2009, when the CEOs met again in conjunction with the opening of the new children's hospital in Guangzhou, Dr. O'Donnell again was asked to share his message. In these settings, Dr. O'Donnell and Children's Mercy are not only influencing pediatric care in Guangzhou, but all across China as these CEOs take back to their institutions the many lessons they've learned from Children's Mercy.

During a visit to China in the spring of 2011, Randall L. O'Donnell, PhD, president and CEO of Children's Mercy shared some of his thoughts about the relationship with the Children's Mercy staff through a blog. An excerpt is below:

On Thursday night, we had a sort of "reunion dinner" with many of the physicians and nurses who have visited Children's Mercy over the past several years. It was delightful to spend the evening with so many friends and "extended family members" of Children's Mercy

... The staffs at both Guangzhou and Pearl River hospitals have been so gracious and appreciative. Both are excited about continuing to expand their relationships with Children's Mercy. While we have enjoyed a partnership with Guangzhou for several years now, I am struck by how, with our developing relationship with the Pearl River Hospital, Children's Mercy has vastly expanded its family in China. 

Pearl River is eager to begin working with us - and not only on scientific projects like our global Pediatric Genome Center. They also want to share similar educational exchanges with us, just like the Guangzhou Women and Children's Hospital does today, and they want us to partner on the creation of the new Pearl River Pediatric Hospital. It's extremely exciting. The notion of being able to generate new revenue for Children's Mercy, while also making a valuable contribution to pediatric care in China, is an incredible opportunity for all of us.