Riley Hospital for Children Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health
Indiana University Health

Riley Hospital for Children Simon Family Tower in 2014.
Geography
Location	705 Riley Hospital Drive, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Coordinates	39°46′40″N 86°10′47″W / 39.77778°N 86.17972°W / 39.77778; -86.17972
Organization
Care system	Non-profit
Funding	Non-profit hospital
Hospital type	Specialist
Affiliated university	Indiana University Health
Services
Emergency department	Level I Pediatric Trauma Center
Helipad	(FAA LID: 23IN)
Beds	456
Specialty	Pediatrics
History
Founded	1924

The Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health is a very important children's hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has 456 beds and gives special care to kids. The hospital works closely with the Indiana University School of Medicine. It is part of the Indiana University Health system. Riley Hospital is the only children's hospital in this health system.

Riley Hospital helps babies, children, teens, and young adults up to 21 years old. It has a top-level emergency center for kids with serious injuries. Its special care units for very sick babies and children help kids from all over the Midwest. The hospital also has two helicopter landing pads for quick help in emergencies. Riley Hospital for Children is named after James Whitcomb Riley, a famous writer and poet from Indianapolis.

In 1916, the Rotary Club of Indianapolis, where James Whitcomb Riley was a member, started the Riley Memorial Association. This group, now called Riley Children's Foundation, wanted to build a children's hospital to remember him. The hospital first opened its doors in 1924. In 1950, the foundation also started Camp Riley. This is a special camp in south central Indiana for children with disabilities.

Riley Hospital for Children is Indiana's only full-service medical center for kids. It helps more than 57,000 patients every year. If a family cannot pay for their child's medical care, Riley Hospital still provides help to all Indiana children. The hospital has 456 beds and sees many patients. It has over 2,000 full-time staff members who work hard to care for children.

History of Riley Hospital
Riley Children’s Foundation
Special Care Units
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Pediatric Pulmonary Program
See also

History of Riley Hospital

James Whitcomb Riley, the hospital's namesake, was known as the Children's Poet.

Riley Hospital began treating children in 1924. It was named after the poet James Whitcomb Riley. In 1921, the Riley Memorial Association was created. This group, now called the Riley Children's Foundation, wanted to build a children's hospital to honor Riley. He was known for his love of children, which he showed in his poems. In 1935, the hospital added a special pool for therapy. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt even came to its opening.

Heart Care at Riley Hospital

Taking care of hearts is a big focus at Riley Hospital. In 1951, Indiana's first special lab to check children's hearts opened at Riley. After this, the hospital was the first in the country to check children's hearts without big surgery. In 1966, Riley Hospital was the first in Indiana to use a test called echocardiography. This test uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart. It helps doctors find heart problems without using X-rays.

New Programs and Care Models

In 1971, Riley Hospital started Indiana's first special center for children with burns. It also opened Indiana's first special care unit for newborn babies that year. Riley also began a new way of caring for families called the Parent Care Unit. This allowed parents to visit anytime and even sleep in the room with their child. In 1975, Riley was the first in Indiana to perform a special heart surgery called the Fontan procedure. This surgery helps separate clean blood from used blood during an operation. Riley was also the first in Indiana to offer surgery for children who did not need to stay overnight.

Advanced Medical Procedures

In 1983, Riley Hospital gave Indiana's first cochlear implant to a deaf child. This device helps a deaf person hear. Later, the hospital was the first to successfully perform a heart-lung bypass surgery for very sick babies and children. This is also called an ECMO procedure. In 1988, Riley performed Indiana's first liver transplant. A year later, Riley also performed the first heart transplants for babies and newborns in Indiana.

Research and Cancer Care

In the 1990s, Riley Hospital opened the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research. It also opened Indiana's only cancer center for children with a special unit for stem cell transplants. Later, in 1994, doctors performed Indiana's first cord blood transplant for a child.

Joining Health Partners

In 1997, Riley Hospital for Children joined with Indiana University Hospital and Methodist Hospital. Together, they formed Clarian Health Partners. This group is now known as Indiana University Health. Soon after, U.S. News & World Report magazine named Clarian Health Partners among the best hospitals in the United States from 1997 to 2005.

New Centers and Achievements in the 2000s

The Riley Outpatient Center opened in 2000. It is the biggest center for children who visit the hospital but do not stay overnight. In 2001, the Riley Sleep Disorders Center began. It is the largest children's sleep lab in the world. In 2002, the Riley Heart Center opened for children with heart problems. Also that year, the hospital was allowed to start new research for children's cancer. The Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center also started in 2002. It is one of the largest autism centers in the United States.

In 2003, Riley performed Indiana's first intestinal and multi-organ transplants. Riley also received special permission to use the Berlin Heart that year. The Berlin Heart is a device that helps treat serious heart problems. That year, Riley surgeons also started using a special prosthetic called Repiphysis for limbs. They also began a new way to fix the mitral valve in the heart. In 2004, Clarian Health Partners was the first to receive a special award called the Magnet designation. Riley was also highly ranked on Child magazine's list of America's best children's hospitals. In 2005, Riley started a big plan to improve the hospital over ten years. Its special care unit for newborns was ranked among the top five in the country by Child magazine.

In November 2020, actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson worked with Microsoft and Bill Gates. They donated Xbox Series X game consoles to Riley Hospital for Children. They also gave consoles to 19 other children's hospitals across the country.

Riley Children’s Foundation

The Riley Children's Foundation was started in 1921 to honor James Whitcomb Riley. Its main goal was to build a children's hospital. The foundation helps raise money so the hospital can provide free medical care to children. The foundation also supports Camp Riley and the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home.

Camp Riley is located in Bradford Woods and started in 1955. It is a camp for children with disabilities. The camp staff are trained to give emotional, medical, and physical support to the campers. Doctors and nurses are at the camp all day and night to make sure everyone is safe.

Special Care Units

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Riley's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was started in 1970. This unit provides special care for newborn babies. It has many doctors who specialize in newborns, along with nurses, respiratory therapists, social workers, and dieticians.

Pediatric Pulmonary Program

The pediatric pulmonary program began in 1976. This program helps children and teens with breathing problems. It treats more than 14,000 patients each year. The department has many doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, social workers, and dieticians. This program is a leader in Indiana for finding and treating breathing illnesses in babies, children, and teens.

Riley Hospital for Children facts for kids

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