New Niswonger Children’s Hospital, Children’s Miracle Network partnership

Miracles happen every day, and thanks to a new affiliation of Niswonger Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, this region will soon see even more.

 Niswonger Children’s Hospital is now the regional affiliate of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which makes it the recipient of all local fundraising, retail partnerships and sponsorship support. The added resources will enable the children’s hospital to enhance the care it provides babies, children, teens and their families.

 “As the only children’s hospital for this area, Niswonger Children’s Hospital currently serves babies and children with a variety of health needs, whether they’re hospital inpatients, infants in a neonatal intensive care unit or young patients at Ballad Health’s outpatient facilities,” said Lisa Carter, chief executive officer of Niswonger Children’s Hospital. “Now, with the inclusion of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, we’ll be able to grow and expand our offerings so our children grow up healthier, safer and stronger.”

 This partnership puts Niswonger Children’s Hospital on more of a national stage to tell the region’s story and the stories of the pediatric patients it serves. Also, it gives the children’s hospital opportunities to participate in national fundraising events put on by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

 “Money raised through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals initiatives in this region stays here to support Niswonger Children’s Hospital,” said Clay Rolston, executive director of Ballad Health Foundation. “Through the children’s hospital, then, Ballad Health Foundation is able to fund the services, projects and areas of care our kids need most.”

 Ballad Health has committed to bolstering the infant and children’s services available in this region, including the creation of a pediatric trauma center, improved emergency care, new locations for clinics and telemedicine hubs and more specialized pediatric experts.

 “Children come to Niswonger Children’s Hospital from all over, including Western North Carolina and Southeastern Kentucky,” Carter said. “We’ve listened to what they and their families need and expect from their healthcare providers, and we’re pursuing that by increasing access points and service options, so they can stay close to home and still receive exceptional care.”

 Niswonger Children’s Hospital currently offers more than 20 pediatric subspecialists, including those for cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology and orthopedics, and its leadership plans to add more. Carter noted the formation of Ballad Health earlier this year will make the health system more attractive to physicians, particularly subspecialists.

 “With our unified health system, we’ll have sustainable volumes that make it possible for providers to maintain robust, thriving practices,” Carter said. “When we meet with potential subspecialists, we discuss ideal patient volumes and the expectations they have of their employer. As Ballad Health, we are more appealing than ever before, which means we can entice more specialized physicians to our region.”

 Ballad Health’s population health initiatives will also receive a boost from Children’s Miracle Network. Through Niswonger Children’s Hospital, the system plans to augment care for babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and expand its Children’s Resource Center, which aims to improve community wellness by investing in the health of children and their families with targeted outreach and support programs. 

 While the team members and physicians of Niswonger Children’s Hospital collaborate to improve care, Children’s Miracle Network fundraising will take place throughout the year with assistance from Ballad Health Foundation and retail partners, such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, ACE Hardware, Dairy Queen, IHOP and other local merchants.

 Carter is optimistic about the future of Niswonger Children’s and its work with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

 “The children and teens we serve at Niswonger Children’s Hospital are the future of this region,” Carter said. “We work every day to be the place that makes kites fly, to help and heal the young people of this region – and, ultimately, to make hope rise.”

 Donations to Niswonger Children’s Hospital can also be made at any time by visiting www.balladhealth.org/foundation or calling 423-302-3131. More information about Niswonger Children’s Hospital can be found at www.balladhealth.org/children.