Shriners holding free orthopaedic screening Sat.
By Staff Reports
Published in News on October 9, 2013 1:46 PM
The Shriners Hospitals for Children is holding a free orthopaedic screening Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during Mumfest in downtown New Bern.
The screening is for children from birth to 18 who have an orthopaedic injury or condition involving the bones, joints or muscles.
It will be held at the Sudan Temple, 403 E. Front St., New Bern.
The screening, part of Shriners' efforts raise the public's awareness of the hospitals and its free services, will be conducted by staff from the Greenville, S.C. hospital.
Shriners' hospitals specialize in different areas of treatment. The Greenville hospital's area of expertise is orthopaedics. However, children seen during the screening will be referred to the appropriate hospital, Shrine officials said.
In 2012, Shriners Hospitals for Children initiated a new system for obtaining new patients. A nationwide advertising effort gave massive awareness to millions of people about the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Shine officials said.
Also, the patients, guardians/parents ability to contact the hospitals direct has enhanced the time line. They may call the toll-free patient referral line at 800-237-5055 in the U.S. or 800-361-7256 in Canada.
Patients are now being seen, in some cases, within a week of the initial contact.
There are many new innovations being used. For example, Shriners' Hospitals for Children now have partnered with orthopedic physicians in different cities for the routine follow-up visits. This allows the patient to be seen locally and not be tied up for a one or two day trip to the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
The Sudan Roadrunners (Shriners who transport the patient and family member) have made 135 trips thus far this year, including five to Cincinnati, Ohio, for burn injuries; flown a patient to Houston, Texas twice this year; three taken to Philadelphia, Penn., and four patients are being treated in Montreal, Canada.
To locate a Shriners' Hospital near you, visit the refer a patient page at shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.
Sudan Shriners, headquartered in New Bern, now have more than 500 patients in its jurisdiction.