Riley Hospital for Children facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health |
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| Indiana University Health | |
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Riley Hospital for Children Simon Family Tower in 2014.
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| 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 |
| 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 is a special hospital just for kids in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has 456 beds and is part of the Indiana University Health system. This hospital is the only children's hospital in that network.
Riley Hospital helps babies, children, teens, and young adults up to 21 years old from all over Indiana. It's a top-level trauma center for kids, meaning it's ready for the most serious injuries. Its special units for very sick babies and children help patients from the entire Midwest. The hospital even has two helipads for quick medical transport.
The hospital is named after James Whitcomb Riley, a famous writer and poet from Indianapolis. In 1916, a group of people who knew Riley started a group to build a children's hospital in his memory. The hospital first opened its doors in 1924. This group later became the Riley Children's Foundation. In 1950, they also started Camp Riley, a special camp for children with disabilities.
Riley Hospital for Children is known as Indiana's only full-service medical center for kids. It helps over 57,000 patients every year. If a family cannot pay for their child's medical care, Riley Hospital still provides treatment to all Indiana children.
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How Riley Hospital Started
Riley Hospital began treating children in 1924. It was named after the poet James Whitcomb Riley, who loved children and wrote many poems for them. In 1921, the Riley Memorial Association was created. This group, now called the Riley Children's Foundation, wanted to build a hospital to honor Riley.
In 1935, the hospital added a special pool for water therapy. Even President Franklin Delano Roosevelt came to the opening of this new pool.
Important Medical Firsts at Riley
Riley Hospital has been a leader in many medical treatments for children.
Heart Care Innovations
Heart care is a big focus at Riley Hospital.
- In 1951, Indiana's first lab for cardiac catheterization in children opened here. This procedure helps doctors look at the heart.
- Riley was the first hospital in the country to do a special type of cardiac catheterization on children.
- In 1966, Riley was the first in Indiana to use echocardiography. This test uses sound waves to create moving pictures of the heart. It helps find heart problems without using X-rays.
New Ways to Care for Kids
Riley also led the way in other important areas.
- In 1971, Riley opened Indiana's first and only pediatric burn center. This same year, they also started Indiana's first neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for very sick newborns.
- Riley also began a new way of caring for patients called the Parent Care Unit. This allowed parents to visit anytime and even sleep in their child's room.
- In 1975, Riley was the first in Indiana to perform the Fontan procedure. This surgery helps children with certain heart problems.
- Riley was also the first in Indiana to offer surgery to children who could go home the same day.
Advanced Surgeries and Treatments
The hospital continued to make medical history.
- In 1983, Riley performed Indiana's first cochlear implant surgery on a deaf child. This device helps with hearing.
- Later, the hospital was the first to successfully use an ECMO procedure. This is a heart-lung bypass surgery for very sick babies and children.
- In 1988, Riley performed Indiana's first liver transplant.
- A year later, they did Indiana's first heart transplants for babies and newborns.
Growth and Partnerships
In the 1990s, Riley Hospital kept growing.
- The Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research opened.
- Indiana's only pediatric cancer center with a stem cell transplant unit also opened.
- In 1994, doctors at Riley performed Indiana's first pediatric cord blood transplant.
In 1997, Riley Hospital for Children joined with other hospitals to form Clarian Health Partners. This group is now known as Indiana University Health. This partnership helped the hospitals be recognized as some of the best in the United States.
New Centers and Programs
The 2000s brought many new additions to Riley Hospital.
- In 2000, the Riley Outpatient Center opened. It is a very large center where children can get care without staying overnight.
- In 2001, the Riley Sleep Disorders Center opened. It was the largest children's sleep lab in the world.
- In 2002, the Riley Heart Center opened for children with heart problems.
- The Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center, one of the biggest autism centers in the U.S., also started in 2002.
- In 2003, Riley performed Indiana's first intestinal and multi-organ transplants.
- Riley also got special permission to use the Berlin Heart. This device helps children with serious heart problems.
- In 2004, Riley was recognized as a top children's hospital by Child magazine.
- In 2005, its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was ranked among the top five in the country.
In November 2020, actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson worked with Microsoft and Bill Gates to donate Xbox Series X game consoles to Riley Hospital for Children and other hospitals.
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 the hospital provide medical care, sometimes for free.
The foundation also supports Camp Riley and the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home. Camp Riley, located in Bradford Woods, began in 1955. It's a special camp for children with disabilities. The staff at the camp are trained to give emotional, medical, and physical support. Doctors and nurses are at the camp 24 hours a day to keep everyone safe.
Special Care Units
Riley Hospital has important units for very specific care.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Riley's NICU was started in 1970. It has over 30 doctors who specialize in newborns, 180 nurses, and 20 respiratory therapists. Social workers and dieticians also help care for the babies.
Pediatric Pulmonary Program
The pediatric pulmonary program began in 1976. It helps over 14,000 patients each year. This team includes 24 doctors, 19 nurses, 10 respiratory therapists, and social workers and dieticians. This program is a leader in Indiana for finding and treating breathing problems in babies, children, and teens.
See also
- Indiana University Dance Marathon
- List of hospitals in Indianapolis
- List of children's hospitals in the United States
- List of trauma centers in the United States
