It’s certainly an exciting time as we prepare to open Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago on June 9, 2012. This tremendous new resource for our children is unlike any hospital, anywhere in the world. And in just a few short months, you will be able to see just how extraordinary it is. Soon, children’s healthcare and research will be elevated to new heights. Young lives will be healed and transformed. The best is yet to come.

With the support of friends like you, we are managing a complex and thorough transition process, while achieving excellence in all areas of our mission.

The quality of our care has been recognized nationally by U.S. News & World Report, the Joint Commission, and most recently, the Leapfrog Group (see Highlights below), a national consortium that promotes “leaps” in patient safety, for achieving four quality and safety practices that are proven to reduce preventable medical mistakes. And Working Mother magazine and Chicago Tribune again recognized our workplace excellence in their annual rankings.

We thank you for your continued support to benefit the children and families we are privileged to serve.

J. Christopher Reyes
Chairman Board of Directors
Children’s Memorial Medical Center

Patrick M. Magoon
President & Chief Executive Officer
Children’s Memorial Medical Center

Jake and Luke Swanson are the only known twins in North America with biliary atresia, a life-threatening disease affecting the liver. Following their diagnosis at two-months old, the Swanson family sought the world-renowned expertise of Children’s Siragusa Transplantation Center and both boys were placed on the waiting list for a donor liver.

In fiscal year 2011, nearly 49,579 donors gave a total of $62.4 million, which allowed more than 148,443 children to receive superior healthcare and the opportunity to reach their greatest potential in life.

Stories like Luke and Jake's are made possible through the generosity of friends like you. A world-class transplantation center could not have been established without support from the Siragusa Foundation and other generous donors whose contributions help transform care.

Your gifts allow Children’s to recruit and retain the best surgeons, doctors and nurses; advance pioneering research; and provide compassionate care for children and families.

Philanthropic contributions will continue to be critically important, both to complete the new facility and to pursue the best treatments and cures for our children. Click here to help now!

Despite severe government funding challenges, Children’s Memorial Hospital has remained steadfast in its commitment to partner with the government and others to improve the health and well-being of children locally, nationally and globally.

Children’s provides more care to children insured by Medicaid than any other hospital in Illinois. In fiscal year 2011, Children’s provided twice as many inpatient, outpatient and physician pediatric Medicaid services than the next highest Illinois hospital. Last year, more than 55 percent of Children’s inpatient days were covered by Medicaid and Children’s absorbed $66 million in losses due to Medicaid underfunding. Despite significant losses like this annually, Children’s fully participates in the Medicaid program, relieving the burden of government.

Last year, the hospital also invested $33 million in efforts to serve the community. Children’s sponsored public health efforts to encourage immunizations and prevent pediatric injuries, violence, obesity and abuse.

In addition, Children’s is one of only four Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Centers in the State of Illinois. Last year we served more than 93,000 children in our Emergency Department. And, through our Discovering Health Care Careers program, we are proud to have mentored more than 150 Chicago Latino High School students since 2001, offering them paid summer internships during which they learn about promising health care career opportunities. Often, these students become our very own employees.

Learn more about how Children’s serves our community.

Watch this sneak peek video and Prepare to be amazed!

An outstanding construction management team and its thorough planning efforts has ensured that the construction of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago has been managed successfully and is on time to open on June 9, 2012. The exterior of the building is now complete, and the Certificate of Occupancy was issued in December 2011.

Transition and occupancy planning were a key priority last year. Each department finalized a new operations plan; training and orientation plans were created for all employees, physicians and volunteers; and the City of Chicago approved the move day plan.

More than 20 of Chicago's top cultural institutions volunteered their design expertise and shared concepts and images for the décor of each floor, ensuring that Lurie Children’s will provide a unique, healing environment for children and their families.

Learn more about Lurie Children’s

In fiscal year 2011, the medical center reported a strong operating performance for the hospital and the physician groups, laying the best possible fiscal foundation for our move to Lurie Children’s. Growth in surgeries and outpatient visits, together with good expense control, contributed to our second best operating income ever, $32.7 million. Our investments performed well despite volatile financial markets, and together with operating income, resulted in Excess of Revenues over Expenses of $132.5 million. Our balance sheet remains strong, with improved liquidity, coverage, and leverage measures. Our goal is to move into Lurie Children’s with a tailwind of solid operating performance and a strong balance sheet. We are off to a good start.