Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics

Laser Pointer Injuries More Than Meets The Eye? Erin Stahl, MD, pediatric ophthalmologist and refractive surgeon, discusses how laser pointers can damage a child's sight.

National Broadcast Media Highlights

Keith August, MD, pediatric oncologist, discusses with ABC News why better drugs are needed for childhood cancers.

About one-third of the patients at Children's Mercy are Spanish-Speaking. John Cowden, MD explains how the Spanish Continuity Care Clinic is meeting the needs of those families.

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. Sarah Hampl, MD, explains that fighting childhood obesity a family affair.

Rochelle Harris, PhD, clinical psychologist, with Children's Mercy explains how to beat the back-to-school blues.

Hospitals see dramatic rise of kids with MRSA
According to a study published in Pediatrics, the number of children hospitalized with dangerous drug-resistant staph infections surged 10-fold in recent years. The study involved 25 children's hospitals; the 10-fold increase in hospitalizations likely occurred nationwide, said Dr. Jason Newland, the lead author and an infectious disease physician at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics.
Disease incidence increased from 2 cases to 21 cases per 1,000 hospital admissions from 1999 to 2008. Most infections were caught in the community, not in the hospital. The study involved methicillin-resistant staph infections, called MRSA. These used to occur mostly in hospitals and nursing homes but they are increasingly showing up in other settings in children and adults. Recent evidence suggests hospital-acquired MRSA cases may be declining while community-acquired cases are becoming more common.

Children's Mercy Featured on MTV's True Life
Children's Mercy patient Morgan Ghosey and Brad Warady, MD, Section Chief, Nephrology and Director of Dialysis and Transplantation, were featured on an episode of MTV's True Life as Morgan is followed through the intimate experience of receiving a second kidney transplant.

2009

Read a New York Times blog about Children's Mercy's First Pediatric Plastic Surgery on Twitter
You can read all of the surgery tweets from our staff by going to Twitter.com/childrensmercy, and searching for #cmhor. Children's Mercy Ranked Among the Best Pediatric Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report
Children's Mercy ranks among the nation's top pediatric hospitals for the second time, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2009 "America's Best Children's Hospitals."
The report includes the top 30 pediatric hospitals in 10 specialties. Children's Mercy ranked in 5 specialties: (No. 21) Urology; (No. 23) Diabetes & Endocrine Disorders; (No. 26) Digestive Disorders; (No. 27) Orthopedics; and (No. 29) Respiratory Disorders.

Dr. Kearns invited to present the William B. Abrams Lecture in 2010
Chair of the Department of Medical Research at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Gregory Kearns, PharmD, PhD has been invited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to present the prestigious William B. Abrams Lecture in 2010. This lecture will be presented as a joint educational initiative of the FDA and the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Children's Mercy honored as one of the Best Companies to Work For in Kansas City by Ingram's magazine
Congratulations to the entire Children's Mercy family for making us one of the Best Companies to Work For in Kansas City...and everywhere! Look for the article about Children's Mercy on page 38 of the March 2009 issue of Ingram's magazine.

233 Lives saved or enhanced in 2008 by generous Children's Mercy families
In support of Donate Life month, Children's Mercy is sharing statistics for 2008 organ and tissue donations at our hospital.

Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics patient to represent Kansas as part of a group of young medical champions.
Weston Funk will visit Capital Hill and Orlando to share his amazing medical experience as part of the Children's Miracle Network program, Champions Across America.

Children's Mercy to Participate in Task Force on Best Practices for Pediatric Weight Management Programs
Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics is one of 16 hospitals chosen by The National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) to participate in a task force to identify best practices of hospital-based clinical pediatric weight management programs.

Be a Part of the Million Reasons Mosaic
We all have a Children's Mercy story to tell. The Million Reasons Mosaic provides a simple way for you - using your own words and photos - to share your Children's Mercy experience with others. Explore the mosaic, read the stories, view our ads and share your own story and become a part of the mosaic.

Children's Mercy doctor leads group to revise nutritional guidelines for children with Chronic Kidney Disease
Bradley Warady, MD , led an international team that updated and expanded nutritional guidelines that will help improve the care of pediatric patients with chronic kidney disease around the world.

Children's Mercy Celebrates Nurses Week
During Nurses Week May 3-9, Children's Mercy pays tribute to the more than 1900 nurses who provide such excellent care to all of our patients ever day. We also take time this week to honor a few of those outstanding nurses with our annual awards and scholarships.

2008

Don't Supersize ME!
Since they have been old enough to watch TV or eat fast food 9-12 year olds in KC have been exposed to images of giant burgers, bagels, expanding candy bars, monster sized tubs of popcorn and sodas large enough to splash in.

Pediatric Environmental Health Unit Now Based at Children's Mercy
The Mid-America Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (MAPEHSU), a program dedicated to providing expert clinical, consultative, education and referral services to improve children's environmental health, is now based at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. This is one of only 11 such units located in the U.S., and this unit serves a four-state area which includes Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.

Dr. Stephen Spielberg to head CMH Center for Personalized Medicine
Stephen P. Spielberg, MD, PhD, formerly Dean and Vice President for Health Affairs at Dartmouth Medical School and one of the nation's best-known specialists in pediatric pharmacology, has joined the staff at Children's Mercy as Director of the new Center for Personalized Medicine and Therapeutic Innovation.

Children's Mercy named 2nd best place to work in Kansas City
The Kansas City Business Journal has named Children's Mercy #2 in its "Best Places to Work in Kansas City" among large employers.

Product Recall Alert - 'Simplicity Convertible Bassinets' Due to serious hazards, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued an immediate recall of roughly 900,000 Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 Convertible "Close-Sleeper" model bedside bassinets.

AAP protecting public trust in immunizations
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends investing in immunization-safety science and effective communication within the vaccine community to encourage public support of immunizations. Michelle Haley, MD , pediatrician with Children's Mercy, explains the benefits of vaccinations.

Hall Family plans $11 million donation toward expansion
The funds are to support Phase 1 of a 15-year, $800 million expansion plan unveiled in December.

Children's Mercy specialties nationally ranked by US News magazine
In its first ranking of children's hospital specialties, US News and World Report has placed Children's Mercy among the top programs in the country. Children's Mercy is recognized for treating pediatric digestive disorders and for neonatal care.

The 2008 Outstanding School Nursing Award
Children's Mercy is proud to honor school nurses for their outstanding accomplishments serving children, families, schools and the community.