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Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Announces Membership in New National Alliance, Together for Kids™, to Meet Growing Needs in Children’s Health One of 53 U.S. Hospitals to Form Nonprofit Fundraising Foundation Newark, NJ -- (September 26, 2007) – The Saint Barnabas Health Care System today announced the involvement of its two Children’s Hospitals in a new nonprofit foundation, Together for Kids™, which will raise funds nationally to help member hospitals cope with dramatic increases in the health needs of children. Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and The Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center are both participating members of Together for Kids. “The children of our region and across America are facing increasing challenges to their health and well-being—challenges that include the growing numbers of uninsured children and the rising rate of childhood obesity,” says Ronald J. Del Mauro, President and Chief Executive Officer, Saint Barnabas Health Care System. “We are pleased to be part of this exciting new initiative and its mission to rally more resources to improve children’s health in the U.S.” The announcement from the Saint Barnabas Health Care System was in conjunction with a press conference held September 26 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. for the launch of Together for Kids. Children’s Health Problems Increasing, Funding Declining A variety of troubling statistics demonstrate the need to focus more resources on children’s health. Since the 1980s, the percentage of overweight children has jumped from six percent to 17 percent, the number of children with asthma has doubled, and the number of uninsured children has risen to more than 11 percent of all children “While the needs are increasing, funding for children’s hospitals is declining,” says Timothy S. Yeh, MD, FAAP, FCCM, Chairman of Pediatrics and Physician-in-Chief, at the Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. “Together for Kids has been created to support the critical work of children’s hospitals in caring for seriously ill and injured kids, and to make a focused effort on the issues of childhood obesity and accident prevention.” Helping Children’s Hospitals Help Kids Together for Kids consists of 34 children’s hospitals and hospital systems, representing 53 individual facilities serving children in 47 U.S. cities. As a tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) public charity, Together for Kids will raise funds through corporate sponsorship, events, grants and other forms of philanthropy, distributing the funds to member hospitals to address their most urgent children’s health needs. Pediatric specialists from the Together for Kids hospitals who make up its Physicians Advisory Committee have prioritized the issues of childhood obesity and accident prevention as critical challenges where the member hospitals will work together to make a real difference. To learn more about Together for Kids, check out www.togetherforkids.org. About Children's Hospital Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is the state's premier hospital caring for children, with specialized services to treat ill and injured children from newborn to adolescent years as well as preventive programs that promote wellness. The facility provides an atmosphere of caring and warmth that complements the extraordinary medical care that is delivered by medical and surgical specialists dedicated exclusively to children's health. The hospital's comprehensive inpatient and outpatient pediatric services include a licensed cardiac surgery program, state-designated regional perinatal center, the state’s largest pediatric intensive care unit, pediatric emergency department, Neonatal Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)/Apnea Center, Valerie Fund Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, neonatal ICU with New Jersey's only ECMO unit, HIV/AIDS treatment for children as well as a sexual and child abuse program. For a referral to a pediatrician or pediatric specialist, please call DATE: September 26, 2007 CONTACT: Beth Salamon, Public Relations, (973) 322-4926
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