140 year of Shriners

140 year of Shriners

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Shriners Hospital for Children-Houston to Re-Open in 3 weeks

HOUSTON -- Shriners Hospital for Children-Galveston, hit hard by Hurricane Ike, will be reopening soon, thanks to a generous donor.

Devon Energy is donating $120,000 to help repair the hospital, which treats more than 5,000 pediatric burn patients, at no cost to their families.

Ike's storm surge flooded the lower level of the burn unit, knocking out critical wiring, including the entire telephone system. Hospital Administrator John Swartwout says Devon Energy contacted the hospital, offering its support. The company is picking up the entire cost of rebuilding the facility's phone system.

Approximately thirty pediatric patients had been under treatment at Galveston's Shriners Hospital when the hurricane hit. They had to be moved to other burn units, some on medical evacuation helicopters.

If all goes as expected, Swartout says, the hospital will be back up and running, accepting new patients, within the next three weeks.

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