Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin announces $1.5 million gift from Mellowes family will support intensive care
MILWAUKEE (11/25/2014) – Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin has announced a new $1.5 million endowed gift from John and Linda Mellowes. The gift funds the John A. and Linda Mellowes Family Chair in Intensive Care, which will provide support to services for children in need of critical care.
The hospital announced that the first chairholder will be Michael Uhing, MD, medical director of Children’s Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and Professor of Neonatology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The Mellowes were inspired to make the gift by a personal journey through the NICU.
“For many years, The Mellowes have been passionate advocates for Children’s Hospital and the kids we serve. In light of the time, talent and support they have already committed, this gift is an extraordinary gesture, and will help us provide the best and safest care to critically ill babies and children for years to come. I am deeply grateful to them,” said Peggy Troy, CEO, Children’s Hospital. “I am also extremely proud of the quality of care provided by our neonatal team, and I am delighted to see Dr. Uhing honored in this way. The generosity of this gift will enable our neonatal team to continue to raise the bar and set the standards on excellence in care for our most vulnerable patients.”
The quality of the care provided to infants in the Children’s Hospital NICU has received national recognition. The hospital has the first and largest Level IV NICU in Wisconsin, and Parents magazine ranked preemie and newborn care at Children’s #1 in the nation in its 2013 Best Children’s Hospitals survey. The program was named among the nation’s best in U.S. News & World Report’s 2014-15 Best Children’s Hospital report. The care provided to infants at Children’s was featured in a cover story in the June 2, 2014 issue of TIME magazine.
The announcement of the gift from the Mellowes comes at a time of key transition for the hospital’s neonatal department. On Nov. 18, doors opened on phase 1 of the NICU’s expansion and remodel, marked with a ribbon cutting and ceremony. Once the expansion and remodeling is complete in 2016, families with newborns will have access to 70 private rooms featuring technologies that place the facility at the highest standard of care. The expansion was a response, in part, to studies that have proven that private NICU rooms lead to better outcomes for infants.
Endowed gifts to Children’s Hospital reflect the special relationship between the organization and benefactors in the region. Children’s was founded by members of the community, and it is with the generous support of private citizens, foundations and corporations that the hospital has grown into the No. 4-ranked pediatric hospital in the country, according to Parents magazine. Endowed gifts help the hospital attract the brightest minds in pediatric medicine while providing critical financial support for the excellent care provided to children and families every day.
About Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
Children’s
Hospital of Wisconsin is the region’s only independent health care system dedicated solely to the health and well-being of children. The hospital, with locations in Milwaukee and Neenah, Wis., is recognized as one of the leading pediatric health care centers in the United States. It is ranked in all 10 specialty areas in U.S. News & World Report’s 2014-15 Best Children’s Hospitals report. Children’s provides primary care, specialty care, urgent care, emergency care, community health services, foster and adoption services, child and family counseling, child advocacy services and family resource centers. In 2012, Children’s invested more than $117 million in the community to improve the health status of children through medical care, advocacy, education and pediatric medical research. Children’s achieves its mission in part through donations from individuals, corporations and foundations and is proud to be a member of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. For more information, visit the website at chw.org.
###
