Mighty Blog

Children’s Hospital Association announces $743,300 in pledges to Children’s Minnesota

Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) has invested in innovative, inclusive and integral programs at Children’s Minnesota. And we are so grateful for the almost 90 years of support.

This year, CHA committed a record-breaking $743,300 to support Children’s growth across eighteen different programs.

Five pilot initiatives are among this year’s pledges, including a complex cardiac disease caregiver simulation that will teach life-sustaining care practices in a simulated, home-like environment. CHA is also supporting a hearing aid loaner bank with multi-lingual family education. This will be an essential step for inclusive amplification resources in Minnesota.

CHA has supported several of these programs since their inception, such as the Autism Spectrum Disorder Care Initiative. Since 2016, CHA has funded autism toolkits with distraction items for patient service areas, inpatient, outpatient, and clinical uses. The initiative has become a national role model for Autism Spectrum Disorder care with more than 1,100 items being restocked into existing toolkits so far this year.

Two nurses use the autism toolkit/sensory toolkit with a patient

“We know that rare and challenging circumstances require many hands and extraordinary care,” said Erin Bursch, executive director of CHA. “That’s why the Children’s Hospital Association is committed to Children’s Minnesota’s vision: to deliver health care unlike any other for the most amazing people on Earth.”

Funding distribution

Program Funds
Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Program $25,000
Audiology – Improving Amplification Access and Family Education $17,000
Autism Spectrum Disorder Care Initiative $40,000
Child Life in the Emergency Department $50,000
Child Life Zone $20,000
Community Connect $65,000
Complex Cardiac Disease Caregiver Simulation $10,300
Expanding Child Life Anticipatory and Bereavement Programs $20,000
First Steps $20,000
HealthySteps $10,000
HIV Family Case Management $56,000
Midwest Children’s Resource Center $100,000
Mental Health Special Needs Fund $40,000
Music Therapy Program $50,000
Runaway Intervention Program $40,000
Spiritual Care On-Call $30,000
Star Studio’s Lights, Camera, Interaction Initiative $50,000
The Unreimbursed and Undercompensated Care Program $75,000

Interested in getting involved with Children’s Hospital Association?

Visit cha-stpaul.org/get-invloved to learn how you can join the network of more than 2,000 volunteers.

Kaitlyn Kamleiter