Running head: COMMUNITY RESOURCE-SHRINERS

Christina Chow
February 25, 2014
The Shriners Hospitals for Children
The Shriners Hospitals for Children was established in 1922 by the Shriners
brotherhood, with its first location in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Shriners is a fraternity for men
of the Masonic order started in 1872 with emphasis on fun and fellowship, rather than just ritual.
The fez, which is the red hat that the members wear, carries an emblem on the front that
represents the characteristics embodied by the Shriners. The schimitar, which is a type of sword,
represents the members who are the backbone of the fraternity. The two claws represent the
Shriners fraternity and its philanthropy, love for humanity. The sphinx represents the governing
body of the Shriners and the five-point star represents the thousands of children helped by their
philanthropy (http://alohashriners.org).
The hospital opened with the mission of providing expert medical care for children up to
18 years of age, in a family centered environment, with no financial hardship placed on the
patients or their families. The Shriners Hospitals now has 22 locations all over the United States
and in Canada and Mexico as well. Although the Shriners Hospitals for Children started as a
pediatric orthopaedic hospital, they have developed other specialties such as burn care, spinal
cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate. The care provided focuses not only on the medical
condition, but also on restoring and maintaining quality of life regardless of the familys ability
to pay. The Shriners Hospitals carries the mission statement of Love to the rescue, allowing
the patients to receive specialized care they are in need of, as quickly as possible
(http://alohashriners.org).

COMMUNITY RESOURCE SHRINERS HOSPITALS

The Honolulu location of the Shriners Hospitals has been around for 90 years, treating
children throughout Hawaii and the Pacific basin. This location specializes in treating children
with orthopedic conditions resulting from disorders such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida,
osteogenesis imperfecta, clubfeet, & scoliosis among others. Conditions such as cleft lip and
palate are not a specialty of the Honolulu location, but the Shriners hospital can assist with travel
expenses for families who need to travel out of state to get the best care for their child. Because
the Shriners Hospitals provides care without prejudice to a familys financial status, many of
Hawaiis at risk infants & children can receive the help they deserve (Shriners Hospitals, 2013).
At risk children can be those born with malformations and birth defects due to advance maternal
age, lack of prenatal care, substance abuse, or premature birth, children of lower economic
status, without health insurance, & children covered by state funded insurance that may have
limitations in coverage. At the Shriners Hospitals, healthcare teams consist of surgeons, nurses,
social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and recreational therapists to ensure
the patients fullest recovery possible as well as psychosocial care. The only criteria for care, is
that the child has a condition that can be treated within the realms of the Shriners Hospitals
specialities (Shriners Hospitals, 2013).
Shriners Hospitals do not require a doctors referral before a patient can be seen, although
some medical insurers if used, may require it. The first step is to call a Shriners Hospitals
location closest to the patients home to and speak to an intake coordinator who will arrange the
first visit with an orthopaedic surgeon. All appointments are made based on the order of medical
need, but no one is ever turned away because they cannot pay (Shriners Hospitals, 2013).

COMMUNITY RESOURCE SHRINERS HOSPITALS

Shriners Hospitals is a great resource for Hawaiis families and children from birth and
throughout their childhood. They provide a soft place to fall for families who would otherwise be
turned away because of their inability to pay.

COMMUNITY RESOURCE SHRINERS HOSPITALS

References
Aloha Shriners (2014). Our history. Aloha Shriners. Retrieved on February 22, 2014 at
http://alohashriners.org/our-history/
Aloha Shriners (2014). Our philanthropy. Aloha Shriners. Retrieved on February 22, 2014 at
http://alohashriners.org/our-philanthropy/
Shriners hospitals for children Honolulu love to the rescue [Brochure]. (2013) Honolulu, HI:
Shriners Hospitals for Children.