Screening clinic to offer on-site hope for parents and children
Special to The Gazette
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The 2008 Kansas Shrine Bowl in Emporia will offer a parade, a host of family-friendly activities, and the state’s premier All Star football game.
But for families of children in need of the free care provided by Shriners Hospitals, the Shrine Bowl will offer something more far-reaching than just a day of fun activities. It will offer hope in the form of an opportunity to get life-changing help
For the second straight year, a free screening clinic will be held on game day to determine if a child can be helped by the medical services offered by the 22 Shrine Hospitals in North America. Shriners, medical personnel, and representatives of the Shriners Hospital for Children in St. Louis, Mo., will be available from 9 to noon at the Flint Hills Community Health Center, 420 W. 15th Ave., to help with the screening process.
Kansas Shrine Bowl Executive Director Dave Mize said the screening clinic is a natural outgrowth of the activities that surround the game itself.
Susan Bland, public relations specialist at the St. Louis hospital, is herself a former Shriners Hospital patient. She is excited about coming to Emporia, and thinks the screening is a great tie-in with the football game.
“It’s an opportunity for us to help families that don’t know where else to turn,” she said.
Bland said no pre-registration is necessary.
“Just show up,” she said. “Families will be greeted by Shriners, asked to fill out an application, and then be evaluated by volunteer physicians.”
She said patients that are accepted will most likely go to the St. Louis Hospital for treatment. Children up to age 18 with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment at no chargeóregardless of financial need. There is never a charge for treatment at a Shriners Hospital.
The executive director of the Flint Hills Community Health Center said the center is excited about hosting the screening clinic. “We think it’s a delightful opportunity to be of service in this way,” said Lougene Marsh. “It’s also a great opportunity for the community to learn more about how they can connect with the services of the Shriners Hospitals, and for people who previously were unaware of what the hospitals do to learn about them.”
She said a local pediatric physician, Michael Mawdsley, and a local orthopedic doctor, Michael Yost, along with the center’s nursing staff, will conduct the screenings.