January 21, 2003

Riley Receives $1.86 Million from Federal Appropriations - Secured by
Congressman Dan Burton

On January 23, 2002, Riley Hospital for Children will open the new state-of-the-art Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center. The new autism center is the only academic and research program on autism in the state, and is the third largest in the United States.

On January 23, at 10 a.m., at a news conference at Riley Hospital for Children, Christopher J. McDougle, Director of the Autism Center, Psychiatry Services and Clinics at Riley, and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine will be joined by Indiana Congressman Dan Burton, Danielle Burton-Sarkine, Christian Sarkine and Riley Hospital representatives to open and dedicate the Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center at Riley Hospital for Children.

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. Autism is a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain. There is currently no known cure for autism. However, better understanding of the disorder has led to the development of better coping mechanisms and strategies for the various manifestations of the disability.

The new autism center at Riley Hospital is being named after Christian Sarkine, grandson of Congressman Dan Burton, who is being treated for autism. Congressman Dan Burton has long been an advocate for research into the causes and treatments of autism and helped make possible the opening of Riley's state-of-the-art facility, which will be able to treat more children and bolster Riley's position as a national leader in autism research.

"I am pleased to have played a part in securing funding for Riley Hospital which will allow doctors and researchers at the hospital to further investigate the causes of autism, and which will allow them to explore improvements in treatment options to help ease the burden on those who suffer from this terrible disorder and the families that care for them," said U.S. Congressman Dan Burton.

At the close of the 106th Congress, Riley Hospital for Children received 1.86 million dollars in federal funding for autism. The Labor-HHS Appropriations bill allocated $1 million, and $860,000 was included in the FY 2001 VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill.

The appropriations will strengthen existing services and augment the fight against autism at Riley Hospital for Children. Riley administrators, doctors and staff are ecstatic about the appropriations. "We are very excited about this funding. It will enable us to continue our efforts in the research and treatment of autism," said Dr. Christopher J. McDougle, Director of the Autism Center, Psychiatry Services and Clinics at Riley, and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine.

Dr. McDougle continued, "Presently, we are one of only five sites in the country involved in a project funded by the National Institute of Mental Health that is focused entirely on autism. The additional funding will enable our department to make even greater progress in the areas of autism research and treatment. We greatly appreciate Congressman Burton's efforts and assistance in fighting this disorder."

"We are extremely grateful for the time and effort that Congressman Burton and his aide, Mary Valentino dedicated to securing these funds for Riley," said Kevin Hammeran, Chief Administrative Officer, Riley Hospital for Children. Mr. Hammeran, continued, "These funds will strengthen existing operations and increase our ability to treat children with autism. We will be able to accomplish a great deal thanks to the efforts and compassion of Dan Burton."

The funding has enabled Riley to not only construct a new center, but also expand services, explore immunological aspects and treat more children. Currently, Riley Hospital is actively treating over 600 children, making it the third busiest autism treatment center in the country.

The Riley autism center has added a speech and language therapist, an immediate access employee, a social worker, and behavior therapist. These additional staff members allow for more comprehensive and individualized care, providing families with the extra resources such as working with parents and siblings of newly diagnosed patients and providing home and school visits to receive and give feedback of treatment and progress.

Riley has also embarked on research projects into the areas of immunological abnormalities and immune markers in the blood, which have yielded interesting results, especially in lieu of recent studies indicating that there have been dramatic increase into the number of children with autism. These results are set to be published in world renowned medical journals.

01/07/03

Child Magazine released its annual rankings of children's hospitals in the United States. Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana's only comprehensive children's hospital was ranked 18th out of over 100 children's hospitals across the country and the only hospital in Indiana to receive recognition. Riley representatives are available for interviews.

"We are pleased to be acknowledged for providing outstanding care to Indiana's families and children," said Kevin Hammeran, Chief Administrative Officer, Riley Hospital for Children. "As Indiana's only comprehensive children's hospital, we continue to set the standard in pediatric care, and work each and every day to enhance the lives of children and families."

Riley continues to be a national leader in pediatric care, and this latest acknowledgement is one of many recent awards and recognition that Riley and Riley staff have received in recent months and adds to the continued leadership and expertise in pediatrics that only Riley offers:

Recent Awards

• Fourteen Riley Hospital physicians were listed in the 2002 issue of America's Top Doctors -- the only Indiana pediatricians to be listed
• The Riley Children's Specialists Northside Office located at 8803 North Meridian received the 2001 Arbor Award for the highest overall satisfaction from patients and families for a physician office. The office received a remarkable 100% satisfaction rate from patients and families
• On October 19, 2002, at the 88th annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Jay L. Grosfeld, M.D., Lafayette Page Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSOM) and Surgeon-in-Chief at Riley Hospital for Children, received the William E. Ladd Medal. This is the highest distinction of achievement in Pediatric Surgery awarded in the United States
• Dr. Frederick Leickly, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics in the Section of Pediatric Pulmonology, Critical Care and Allergy, received the 2002 Asthma Alliance of Indianapolis Asthma Advocate Award
• Dr. Joseph Fitzgerald, Professor of Pediatrics and founding Director of the Section of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at IUSOM and Riley Hospital, was the first pediatric gastroenterologist in the world to be selected for recognition as a Master of the American College of Gastroenterology. He received the award in Fall 2002
• A paper, "Crash Protection for Children in Ambulances," presented by Dr. Marilyn Bull at the American Academy of Pediatrics national meeting in October 2002 was selected to receive the "Out of Hospital Care Award" by the Section on Emergency Medicine
• Dr. Martin Kleiman, the Ryan White Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Section of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Riley Hospital for Children, received the Irving Rosenbaum Award from the Indiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics for distinguished service to children in the summer of 2002
• Dr. Patricia Keener was awarded a "Women in the Lead" award on June 7, 2002 by the Network of Women in Business and the Indianapolis Business Journal. This award honors women who have demonstrated professional excellence and leadership in their careers and community. Dr. Keener is Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Associate Chair of the IU Department of Pediatrics, and Assistant Dean of the Office of Medical Service Learning at IUSOM. She was honored in the professional category for her work to provide health care to those in the Hispanic and under-served communities
• Dr. Patricia Keener was also awarded a "Health Care Heroes" Award in 2002 by the Indianapolis Business Journal. This award honors health care professionals who have demonstrated professional excellence and leadership the health care field.

Riley Leadership in Indiana

• One the ten largest children's hospitals in the United States
• Indiana's only pediatric burn center
• Indiana's most comprehensive neonatal intensive care unit, including its oldest, most experienced, and most successful ECMO program
• Indiana's first pediatric emergency department, seeing more than 12,000 patients annually
• Indiana's only Level I pediatric trauma center -- the highest designation that can be attained
• The 25th largest recipient of National Institute of Health funds for research in childhood disorders in the United States
• One of the nation's three largest autism treatment centers
• Part of Indiana University's National Institutes of Health designated Comprehensive Cancer Center -- the only designated center in the state of Indiana
• Indiana's only pediatric dialysis program
• Indiana's only dedicated pediatric inpatient unit for cardiovascular care, the Riley Heart Center, among the most experienced and successful such programs in the nation
• One of the nation's three largest and most comprehensive outpatient facilities for children
• The world's largest pediatric sleep disorders center
• Indiana's largest and most comprehensive pediatric intensive care unit
• Indiana's only multi-organ transplant program for children Riley surgeons pioneered minimally invasive surgical techniques
• One of the largest and experienced craniofacial surgery programs in the United States
• Indiana's first and largest ground transport system for infants and children, and an air retrieval system built around the Methodist Lifeline Program using the Kiwanis heliport at Riley
• Indiana's premier program for patient information in child health and wellness
• Among the nation's 20 largest pediatric research programs
• Over 70% of Indiana's pediatricians received some or all of their training at Riley
• A national leader in cochlear implant evaluation and treatment
• The rehabilitation team provides services to more than 120 children on inpatient units each year
• Riley's hemophilia program is one of 16 disease-specific programs in Riley's nationally recognized Cancer Center