Corporate development officer JD stops by Eye on Anthem to explain how Phoenix Children’s Hospital keeps more than 170 specialized programs running almost entirely on donations. He walks Eric and Sawana through favorites like animal-assisted therapy, the redesigned Child Life Zone, and the One Darn Cool School, where eight master’s-level educators teach kids bedside using each student’s own class curriculum. JD describes the hospital’s fast expansion across the Valley, with 40-plus satellite sites, new locations in Arrowhead, Avondale, and Mercy Gilbert, and patients arriving from 49 states and nine countries. He also previews a planned pediatric mental health facility with ASU aimed at the shortage of psychiatric beds for kids.
Eric shares why the cause is personal, crediting the hospital with saving his son Griffin’s life and inspiring the We Care Anthem effort. The pair close by inviting neighbors to two charity poker tournaments, one in Prescott and one coming to Anthem’s HomeLand Brew Co on February 26.
Key takeaways
- Phoenix Children's runs more than 170 programs funded almost entirely by philanthropy, including animal-assisted therapy, music and art therapy, and the Child Life Zone.
- The One Darn Cool School staffs eight master's-level educators who teach patients bedside from their own class curriculum and coordinate with the child's real teacher.
- The hospital is growing fast, with 40-plus satellite offices plus new Arrowhead, Avondale, and Mercy Gilbert locations, and it serves patients from 49 states and 9 countries.
- Phoenix Children's ranks number two in the nation for pediatric heart transplants, behind Texas Children's Hospital.
- A new pediatric mental health facility is planned with ASU at its West campus to ease a shortage of psychiatric beds and counseling for kids.
- Two charity poker tournaments benefit the hospital: one in Prescott at Founding Fathers and the Anthem event on February 26 at HomeLand Brew Co.
Related: Eye on Anthem