Hasbro Children's Hospital Milestones

1994—Hasbro Children's Hospital opens its doors: The new seven-story, 87-bed hospital is dedicated specifically to the care of children—offering the region's first pediatric emergency room and pediatric intensive care unit. Hasbro Children's Hospital has a "parents as partners" philosophy that encourages parents to participate in their children's care throughout their stay.

1996—Hasbro Children's Hospital establishes Child Protection Program: Directed by Carole Jenny, MD, the Child Protection Program offers a full range of services to diagnose abused children. A 24-hour on-call team of specialists provides family support and trains medical staff to recognize abuse. Jenny is an internationally recognized advocate for children and one of only a few child abuse experts in the country.

1998—Rhode Island's first pediatric kidney transplant: Transplant surgeon Paul Morrissey, MD, performs the state's first pediatric kidney transplant, and opens the door for families to receive this vital surgery close to home. The transplant center is one of five in New England that offers pediatric kidney transplants.

1998—State's first Injury Prevention Center opens: Injuries are the leading cause of hospitalization and death for Rhode Island's children and young adults. The Injury Prevention Center's goal is to reduce injuries in Rhode Island by conducting research; holding community projects and events; and educating health professionals, policy makers and the public about the problem of injuries in Rhode Island.

2000—In-utero fetal surgery performed for the first time in the Northeast: Pediatric surgeons Francois Luks, MD, and Thomas Tracy, MD, pioneer fetal surgery, in which ultrasound and other technologies are used to detect abnormalities and perform corrective surgery. In 2001, the surgical team works with Women & Infants' Hospital to perform the first twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) surgery, a pioneering procedure in fetal surgery to save the lives of identical twin babies. TTTS is a condition in the placenta resulting in a disproportionate flow of blood to the twins.

2000—Draw-A-Breath program launched: Hasbro Children's Hospital launches a unique asthma outreach and education program funded by CVS/pharmacy and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The program proves successful in educating children and their parents to better manage asthma, resulting in a reduced number of visits to the emergency department, reduced hospital admissions due to severe asthma attacks, and a reduced number of missed school days.

2001—Hasbro Children's Hospital begins pediatric sedation services: The hospital begins offering sedation for children undergoing diagnostic services—primarily CT scan and MRI—under the direction of a dedicated team of professionals. By sedating children, results are more accurate and fewer repeat procedures are necessary. More about pediatric radiology.

2002—World's youngest patient receives intraoperative radiation therapy: A medical/surgical team  uses a new form of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) called INTRABEAM to prevent recurrence of a metastatic brain lesion in a four-year-old Rhode Island boy. The patient is the youngest in the world to receive radiation therapy during surgery for a brain tumor.

2002—Toddler's heart repaired without opening chest: A pediatric interventional cardiologist closes a hole in a toddler's heart without opening his chest. The two-year-old patient was born with a congenital heart condition known as atrial septal defect (ASD). The defect is corrected through a high-tech, minimally invasive procedure that implants an occlusion device in the heart. Only five medical centers in New England perform the procedure.
More about pediatric cardiology.

2002—Hasbro Children's Hospital runs the state's only pediatric transport team: The hospital's pediatric transport team is responsible for transporting children from other area hospitals to Hasbro's pediatric intensive care unit. The team—a physician, intensive care nurse and respiratory therapist—is on call 24 hours a day to provide immediate response. The team's goal is to mobilize within 30 minutes and board an ambulance to travel to any hospital in the region. An average of 30 patients a month are transported to the PICU. In 2002, the hospital appoints two full-time nurses to coordinate the transport team's efforts and ensure timely mobilization.

2002—Hasbro Children's Hospital launches VIP program: Hasbro Children's Hospital develops and launches the Ventilator Integration Program for patients who are dependent on ventilators to breathe. Staff train families on how to use a ventilator so they can care for their children at home, eliminating a long hospital stay.

2003—New implanted device restores hearing: Ear specialist Brian Duff, MD, uses a new technique to restore a nine-year-old's hearing. A titanium device is implanted and permanently bonded to living bone. Once secured, the bone becomes a pathway for sound to travel to the inner ear without involving the ear canal or middle ear. The bone-implanted device is used in children who cannot wear conventional hearing aids. More about audiology services for children.

2003—Hasbro Children's Hospital opens Pediatric Heart Center, Respiratory and Immunology Center: Two comprehensive centers open, one for the care of children requiring specialized cardiac care, the other for asthma and allergies. Both are dedicated specifically to children.

• More about the Pediatric Heart Center
• More about the Respiratory and Immunology Center

2003—Amputation avoided by bone grown from bone marrow cells: In July 2003, orthopedic surgeon Michael Ehrlich, MD, performs a first-of-its kind procedure to help grow bone in the leg of nine-year-old boy born without a fibula. By using bone marrow cells from the patient's pelvis, combined with demineralized bone matrix, Ehrlich succeeds in growing bone alongside cartilage in the patient's leg. Without this procedure, the conventional option would be amputation of the child's leg. More about pediatric orthopedic services.

2004—Fetal surgery proves successful: An international study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that performing laser treatment in utero is more effective for treating TTTS than conventional treatment with amniocentesis. TTTS is a condition in the placenta resulting in a disproportionate flow of blood to the twins. Hasbro Children's Hospital, in collaboration with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Women & Infants' Hospital, is the only site in North America to participate in the study. Francois Luks, MD, of Hasbro Children's Hospital, is an author on the paper.

2005—Child magazine ranks Hasbro Children's Hospital 9th nationally for its orthopedics program.

—The Art While You Wait program designed for the Hasbro Children's Hospital emergency department is one of five winners nationally in the Blair Sadler International Healing Arts Competition.

—Hasbro Children's Hospital's community asthma programs receive a 2005 "Healthy Schools! Healthy Kids!" award from the RI Department of Health and the RI Department of Education.

2006—Hasbro Children's Hospital opens its Center for Pediatric Imaging and Sedation: The diagnostic suite offers a complete range of imaging services, including MRI and CT scans, exclusively for children and is designed to make imaging quick, easy and anxiety free for children.

2007—Hasbro Children's Hospital is designated a Children's Miracle Network hospital.

2009—Hasbro Children's Hospital is ranked among the top 30 children's hospitals nationwide by Parents magazine.

2010—LifePACT, the state's first pediatric critical care transport ambulance, begins operating from Hasbro Children's Hospital: Provided by a gift from Hasbro, Inc. and designed especially for children, the ambulance transports critically ill children from other health care facilities to Hasbro Children's Hospital.

2012—Sleep program accreditation: Hasbro Children's Hospital's sleep center program was accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine for five years, making the program one of only two accredited pediatric sleep centers in the region.