Salinas Valley Health Celebrates 35 Years of Membership with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843

Salinas Valley Health Celebrates 35 Years of Membership with
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Salinas, California; Salinas Valley Health proudly celebrates the 35^th anniversary of partnership with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH), a national organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for local children’s healthcare needs. As the only member hospital for all of Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito Counties, Salinas Valley Health is proud to share that 100% of the funds raised stay local, and are dedicated to improving pediatric health and wellness across the tri-county area.

Since joining the network in 1989, Salinas Valley Health has raised over $22 million to support local pediatric health needs, with most of the funds being raised $1 at a time. You may have seen the iconic yellow and red balloon on paper icons at the register of more than a dozen corporate partners including Costco, Walmart, Panda Express, Ace Hardware, Rite Aid, and many more. Across all three counties, every dollar raised stays local and comes directly back to our community, restricted to pediatric health efforts.

Over the years, our local CMN Hospitals Program has made an impact on countless local lives, both within the Medical Center, and across the region. In order to reach families in need across all three counties, Salinas Valley Health created a pediatric medical needs assistance program called “Making More Miracles” that provides funding for medically beneficial equipment, services, and treatment for children throughout all three counties. This unique program has funded art and music therapy, adaptive speech devices, hearing aids, orthotics, mobility devices, aquatic therapy, wheelchair ramps, and so much more, for children in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito Counties, regardless of where they receive their healthcare.

“Our partnership as a member of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has brought needed resources to our community, and brought together a collaborative group of businesses, employees, customers, donors, and volunteers who care about local children’s health,” says Dr. Allen Radner, President/CEO of Salinas Valley Health, “We are proud to be the member hospital for the tri-county area and look forward to many decades of partnership ahead.”

Donations made through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals have helped to support countless initiatives at Salinas Valley Health over the last 35 years including:

• Specialized neonatal equipment for the Norman P. Andresen Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• Comfort items for children in the Emergency Department and Post Anesthesia Care Unit
• The annual Mark Velcoff, MD Asthma Day Camp
• Support for Salinas Valley Health’s Madison Clinic for Pediatric Diabetes in partnership with UCSF
• A Playroom in the 3^rd floor Pediatrics Unit
• Specialized “preemie” car seats for babies under 6 pounds who are ready to discharge home
• Arts, crafts, and books for pediatric inpatients
• NICview cameras to allow loved ones to see NICU babies through a secure and encrypted video feed when they can’t be there in person
• Transportation services for children with life threatening illnesses to and from the Bay Area for specialty treatments
• Aspire’s Healthy Together Program in partnership with Montage Health, providing family centered education and resources to combat youth diabetes and obesity
• Thousands of individual medical needs grants to support medically beneficial equipment and services for children across all 3 counties

Join us in celebrating 35 years of impactful partnership as we proudly project the CMN Hospitals iconic balloon logo on our Medical Center throughout the month of November. You’ll find the logo projected at the front entrance to the Medical Center, best viewed after dark.

Whether you’ve given at the register of a partnering business, rounded up your change, fundraised through the Extra Life peer-to-peer fundraising program, called in to a Radiothon or Telethon, attended a fundraising event, or given online, you have helped to support local children’s health and made a difference for countless families. To learn more about Salinas Valley Health’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Program and how your giving makes a difference, please visit SalinasValleyHealthFoundation.org.

About Salinas Valley Health Foundation

Salinas Valley Health Foundation helps the Salinas Valley community create a great hospital and health system. Philanthropic support helps to advance state-of-the-art healthcare by supporting our hospital staff and doctors with what’s truly needed to care for people and create a healthier future for all. Salinas Valley Health Foundation is fortunate to have a dedicated, diverse, and engaged Board of Governors who care deeply about the health of our community. Working side by side with our Foundation staff, the doctors, nurses, administrators, business owners, and community leaders who make up our board help set funding priorities, organize events, and engage our community to philanthropically support the mission of Salinas Valley Health.

About Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals was founded more than 40 years ago with the vision to Change Kids’ Health, and Change the Future. We’ve raised over $9 billion for 170 member hospitals by empowering and engaging with local communities and businesses – and we’re not done yet. All donations benefit local member hospitals to fund what’s needed most, like critical life-saving treatments and healthcare services, vital pediatric medical equipment, child life services that put kids’ and families’ minds at ease during difficult hospital stays, and financial assistance for families who could not otherwise afford these health services.

Together, we can change kids’ health. Together, we can change the future.