Hosted at the Children’s Mercy Research Institute, the event highlighted the hospital’s commitment to excellence in the areas of graduate medical education, translational research, connective tissue disorders, pediatric orthopedic surgery, radiology research, pediatric molecular oncology and cancer immunotherapy. These achievements are made possible through visionary philanthropic support.

2026 Honorees

• Brenda Rogers, MD 
  Dr. Sidney F. Pakula Endowed Chair in Graduate Medical Education
  
   
• Jordan Jones, DO, MS, FAAP, FACR
  Underdown Yeomans Family Endowed Professorship in Connective Tissue Disorders Care
  
   
• Kathryn Keeler, MD
  Dr. Brad and Dawn Olney Chair in Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery
  
   
• Sherwin Chan, MD, PhD
  Gallagher Family Endowed Professorship in Excellence
  
   
• Tomoo Iwakuma, MD, PhD
  Braden’s Hope for Childhood Cancer Endowed Chair in Pediatric Molecular Oncology
  
   
• Yong Li, PhD
  Paul and Linda DeBruce Endowed Chair in Cancer Immunotherapy

As the hospital continues to expand its academic profile, endowed faculty positions remain central to its legacy of providing the best possible and highest quality care to all children when they need it most.

These appointments provide talented clinicians, researchers and educators with the protected time and resources needed to lead, innovate and mentor the next generation of pediatric medicine. In an increasingly competitive academic environment, endowed positions also play a critical role in recruiting and retaining world-class talent.

For a nonprofit teaching hospital, endowed positions are far more than a title. They are transformative investments in patients, faculty and the future of children’s health.

“These recognize not only past achievement, but future promise, and they provide enduring support for work that advances our mission across clinical care, education, research and discovery,” said Steve Leeder, PharmD, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer.

The ceremony also recognized the generous donors whose support established and sustains these endowed appointments. Their enduring commitment helps Children's Mercy remain a leader in pediatric care, research and education for children and families across the region.

• The Louis H. Gross Foundation, Inc. Dr. Lawrence Pakula, a Director
• Kim and Rod Underdown and the Underdown and Yeomans Family
• Dr. Brad and Dawn Olney
• The Diane and Terrence Gallagher Family
• Braden’s Hope for Childhood Cancer
• Paul and Linda Debruce
   

Learn more about the honorees and donors at childrensmercy.org.

By Chandler Watkins

This month, Birthday Brightness was launched at Children’s Mercy. It’s a program two years in the making, created by a former patient after she spent her birthday in the hospital.

Sami Tolliver, now 19 years old, says the Children’s Mercy staff and Child Life Specialist program made sure it was a special one, surprising her the day she turned 17.

“My whole room was decorated when I woke up. They had a present for me and everything,” said Tolliver back in 2024. “I just felt so special and so loved on my birthday.”

See the full story via KCTV 5

Become a Children's Mercy Junior Champion

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce haven’t just been planning a wedding. They quietly set off a chain reaction of generosity that left staff at some American nonprofits stunned, emotional, and, in at least one case, literally speechless.

On July 2, a rep for Swift told PEOPLE that the couple had made an astounding $26 million in donations to various charitable organizations.

The superstar and football player, both 36, are known for supporting charitable causes long before this latest wave of donations. Swift has built a long track record of giving across education, disaster relief, food insecurity, and music programs, often contributing quietly or stepping in quickly during moments of urgent need. Kelce has also focused his philanthropy on youth development and community support through his foundation work, backing programs aimed at empowering underserved kids and strengthening local communities.

Across food banks, children’s hospitals, education nonprofits and animal welfare organizations, leaders say they learned about the couple’s sweeping charitable donations the same way: suddenly, directly and often through a phone call or message that didn’t quite feel real at first.

At Children's Mercy the reaction was immediate and emotional after learning the rumor was true. On Instagram, the hospital wrote, “The rumor about @taylorswift and @killatrav ? It’s true. And we heard it with our own happy hearts. 💛✨❤️ Their incredible gift will help bring more comfort, joy and ‘just be a kid’ moments to Children’s Mercy, supporting the programs, services and care that make hospital days brighter for kids and families. More comfort. More magic. More reminders that our kids are seen, supported and surrounded by love.”

They added, “Friendship bracelets, end-zone dances and a whole lot of gratitude —Taylor and Travis, we’re in our grateful era. ✨ Thank you.”

See the full story via People 

Ways to give to Children's Mercy

In the United States, the state of pediatric health services can be fraught as the healthcare research firm Advisory Board indicates a difficult financial year for pediatric hospitals. Prospects are looking up in 417-land, though, especially as Springfield takes on not one but two new pediatric facilities. The first, St. Louis Children’s at CoxHealth, is a pediatric hospital that opened in March at Cox Medical Center South. The second, the Children’s Mercy with Mercy O’Reilly Pediatric Center, is a brand-new facility that opens in December at Mercy Springfield’s south campus. Both serve different purposes but work together to localize pediatric care.

This is pressing because currently, one in three children in the area has to seek medical care outside of the community. Dr. John Burson, a Mercy Springfield pediatrician and medical director of Children’s Mercy with Mercy, says that having to drive to bigger cities is taxing not only children but their families. “People forget, but that’s very disruptive to the parent, to the family unit, if the patient has to go and travel,” Burson says. “A lot of times that means a parent has to take a day off work, and sometimes financially that’s hard because they need the paycheck; they need to be able to work.” With the new facilities, children will be better cared for in the Springfield area, whether it’s for medical emergencies or routine visits.

Children's Mercy with Mercy O'Reilly Pediatric Center

Children’s Mercy with Mercy O’Reilly Pediatric Center is the joint venture between Children’s Mercy in Kansas City and Mercy Springfield Communities. The $30 million new facility is 40,000 square feet, with wings for both primary and specialty pediatric care. Caregivers at the facility will be stationed in Springfield, which Dr. John Burson says is especially important in order for specialist pediatricians to feel supported. When the facility opens in December, initial services open for patients include pediatric specialties, pediatric primary care, lab and radiology. More than 100,000 children throughout the community are expected to be impacted through its services. The space uses the expertise of Children’s Mercy to craft a center especially for children. “We’re really creating a space that’s comfortable, calming and colorful combined together so that they’re not afraid of the care that they’re receiving,” says Debbie Schwartzkopf, chief administrative officer for Children’s Mercy with Mercy.

Read the full article via 417 Magazine

PRESS RELEASE: Children's Mercy and Mercy Springfield Communities Celebrate Construction Milestone

He will also serve as the inaugural holder of the Paul and Linda DeBruce Endowed Chair in Cancer Immunotherapy, established through the generosity of the DeBruces, longtime supporters of Children’s Mercy. 

The Molecular Oncology & Cellular Therapeutics division will focus on advancing new treatment options for children with cancer, while also exploring emerging therapies that could benefit children with autoimmune diseases and complications related to transplants. The goal is simple but powerful: move promising research more quickly from the laboratory to the bedside, where it can make a meaningful difference for children and families. 

In this new role, Dr. Li will help expand Children’s Mercy’s ability to offer innovative cellular and immunotherapy treatments and strengthen its partnership with the University of Kansas Cancer Center. This collaboration supports faster progress in pediatric research and helps ensure children have access to leading-edge therapies close to home.   

“Breakthroughs in cancer treatment are advancing rapidly, particularly in immunotherapy and cellular therapeutics,” said Steve Leeder, Ph.D., PharmD, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Children’s Mercy. “Dr. Li’s leadership will help ensure children benefit from these innovations.”  

Dr. Li is an internationally recognized scientist with deep expertise in cancer biology, cell-based treatment development and the use of artificial intelligence to accelerate drug discovery. He most recently served as a professor and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine, where he also led Molecular Epidemiology. 

His research brings together molecular, cellular and computational science, including artificial intelligence, to identify new treatment targets and develop biologic therapies for cancer and other serious diseases. Dr. Li currently leads one of a small number of National Cancer Institute‑funded U54 Cancer Prevention‑Interception Centers focused on advancing precision medicines. 

Supported by multiple National Institutes of Health grants, Dr. Li has served as principal investigator on research exploring PD‑L1 biology, p53‑directed therapies and computational drug development. His career includes leadership roles at Baylor College of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic and the University of Louisville, as well as postdoctoral training at Yale University with Nobel laureate Dr. Sidney Altman. He has earned national and international recognition for his work, including election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

“Children’s Mercy offers world-class clinical care and a strong research foundation,” Li said. “I look forward to leveraging these strengths to advance innovative therapies and bring new hope to children and families facing cancer.”  

By Kerri Stowell

Children’s Mercy Kansas is introducing its newest staff member, a four-legged “dog-ter” named Benny.

Benny works with the pediatric care team to help bring joy to young patients battling illness.

He is a 2-year-old golden retriever mix. He works alongside a certified child life specialist to help patients cope with being in the hospital and the treatments they’re undergoing.

From participating in art projects and other bedside activities, to walking with patients, or simply sitting next to them in an exam room, Benny provides much needed emotional support.

Benny’s placement is thanks to the Dunkin Joy in Childhood Foundation, which helps place dogs at hospitals nationwide.

See the full story via Fox 4

Children's Mercy Facility Dog Program

The events raise money for pediatric cancer research and support for Children's Mercy.

As TODAY's Al Roker reports, since starting in 2010, the Big Slick has raised more than $34 million and continues to grow.

See the full story via The TODAY Show.

Learn more about Big Slick 

The Children's Mercy Cancer Center

Research information for families

Children’s Mercy Kansas City will transform its main campus with the biggest single capital investment in the hospital system's 129-year history — a $1 billion-plus patient tower on Hospital Hill.

Children's Mercy on Wednesday formally announced an expansion of its flagship Adele Hall Campus with an acute care patient tower fronting Gillham Road.

Early plans call for a new home for the hospital's pediatric and neonatal intensive care units, as well as an expansion of its emergency department to increase patient capacity. The tower is in the early stages of design, the hospital system said.

"The complexity of pediatric care continues to evolve, and we find ourselves at a point of great responsibility with the promises that we've made to the community, when we are the only quaternary pediatric enterprise in about a 200-mile radius," Children's Mercy CEO Dr. Alejandro Quiroga said in an interview. "So capacity, when we are in such a position of responsibility, is a big issue, and when we do analysis, we know that, to be able to have a bed available for everybody, we're going to have to grow the acute care part of our facilities."

Read the full article via The Kansas City Business Journal

PRESS RELEASE: Children’s Mercy Announces New Acute Care Tower at Adele Hall Campus to Meet Urgent Growing Pediatric Needs

Children’s Mercy, based in Kansas City, Mo., has raised $150 million to address the pediatric mental health crisis across the region.

The five-year Illuminate initiative, launched in summer 2023, focuses on facilitating early intervention, increasing specialty services, investing in research and innovation, and expanding hospital care. Since its launch, Children’s Mercy has introduced nearly 14 initiatives under the plan.

More than 5,000 donors supported the effort. 

See the full article via Becker's Hospital Review

Illuminate: Lighting the Path Forward for Mental Health

Across the nation, hospitals are moving beyond crisis response to redesign care systems, embedding behavioral health clinicians into pediatric clinics, forging partnerships with schools and community providers, and using telehealth to reach underserved populations. These approaches are driving earlier interventions, better outcomes, and more efficient use of health system capacity — offering real promise for an issue that affects millions of young people and their families and friends.

These real-world strategies are captured in the American Hospital Association’s recently released Integrating Behavioral Health into Pediatric Care: Hospital-led Solutions to a Growing Crisis report, which outlines five hospital case studies showing how systems are integrating behavioral health and pediatric care to address a growing clinical demand.

Hospital-Led Solutions in Action

The AHA report’s case studies illustrate how integration is taking shape across different communities and health system models:

1 | Nemours Children’s Health (Multi-state)

Nemours has embedded behavioral health clinicians within both pediatric primary care and specialty clinics. By enabling real-time consultation during well-child and specialty visits, clinicians can identify concerns early and provide immediate support or referral — reducing reliance on emergency care and long wait lists for specialty services.

2 | Children’s Mercy (Kansas City, Mo.)

This system is expanding integrated care through a Partial Hospitalization Program and coordinated behavioral health hubs that connect outpatient clinics with crisis intervention resources. Early evidence from integrated behavioral health teams suggests improved access for underserved children and more seamless transitions from acute care to ongoing support.

Read the full article via the American Hospital Association

Illuminate: Lighting the Path Forward for Menta Health

Members of the O’Reilly family have provided the lead donation for the new Children’s Mercy With Mercy Pediatric Clinic, to be built on Mercy’s south Springfield campus in Ozark.

The donation comes from the families of Charlie and Mary Beth O’Reilly, David and Stacey O’Reilly, Larry and Anya O’Reilly, and Rosalie and Tal O’Reilly Wooten.

“When we heard about Mercy’s and Children’s Mercy’s effort to enhance pediatric care for kids across southwest Missouri, we knew we wanted to be involved and help make a generational change for kids in our community,” Rosalie O’Reilly Wooten said in a press release. “This clinic will make it easier for kids to access a range of specialists, and its design and functionality will be built around their needs.

“This is what makes all of Children’s Mercy clinics and hospitals so unique. They’re truly built for kids, and we can’t wait for that dedication and expertise to come to Springfield.”

Plans for the new pediatric clinic were announced Nov. 19, and work on the site is scheduled to begin this month. 

Read the full article via the Springfield Daily Citizen

PRESS RELEASE: Children's Mercy and Mercy Springfield Communities to Build Dedicated Pediatric Facility in Springfield

Children's Mercy with Mercy

A star-studded fundraiser is returning for its 17th year in Kansas City with familiar fun and some changes.

Big Slick, a fundraiser hosted by celebrities and Kansas City natives, will be back May 29-30 in 2026.

Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, David Koechner, Eric Stonestreet and Heidi Gardner will once again host the event, inviting celebrities and friends to join them for a good cause.

Each year, Big Slick benefits pediatric cancer research at Children's Mercy Kansas City. In 2025, the event raised $4.5 million for the hospital.

This year, however, there will be no Celebrity Classic softball game. Due to scheduling limitations with the FIFA World Cup, the Kansas City Royals will not be in town when Big Slick is scheduled. The Celebrity Classic usually takes place before a Royals home game.

Details on tickets and celebrity guests won't be revealed until tickets go on sale in the spring.

Read the full article via KMBC 9

Big Slick Celebrity Weekend

Hosted at the Children’s Mercy Research Institute, the event highlighted the hospital’s commitment to excellence in the areas of liver transplant care, hematology, oncology and bone marrow transplant, developmental and behavioral health and medical administration – achievements made possible through visionary philanthropic support.

2025 Honorees

C. Andrew Bonham, MD, FACS

James F. Daniel, MD Endowed Chair in Liver Care

Shannon Carpenter, MD, MS

Robert and Doris Hamilton Family Endowed Chair in Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant

Rebecca Johnson, PhD, ABPP

Nick Timmons Endowed Chair in Developmental and Behavioral Health

Alejandro Quiroga, MD, MBA

Alice Berry, DDS and Katharine Berry, MD, Endowed Chair in Executive Leadership

Douglas C. Rivard, DO

Schellhorn Family Endowed Chair in Medical Administration

As the hospital continues to expand its academic profile, endowed faculty positions remain a cornerstone of its vision to build a world of wellbeing for all children.

They ensure our talented clinicians, researchers and change makers have the protected time and resources to lead, innovate and teach the next generation. In a competitive academic landscape, they are particularly vital – helping us to recruit and retain the brightest minds in pediatric medicine.

For a nonprofit teaching hospital like Children’s Mercy, endowed positions are so much more than a title. They are transformative investments in our patients, our faculty and the future of pediatric medicine.

“Endowed positions empower our faculty to ask bold questions, explore groundbreaking research and turn discoveries into better care for children. These opportunities wouldn’t be possible without the community champions who believe in advancing pediatric medicine and research and making a lasting impact,” said Jenea Oliver, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Children’s Mercy.

The ceremony also celebrated the generous donors behind each chair.  Their enduring support ensures Children’s Mercy remains a center of excellence for children and families across the region.

• Marge and Montie Tripp Family
• Doris Hamilton and Myron Sildon
• Fore the Kids Foundation
• Anonymous donors in honor of Alice Berry Graham and Katharine Berry Richardson, sisters and founders of Children’s Mercy
• Charles and Lisa Schellhorn

Learn more about the honorees and donors

Big Slick, Kansas City’s favorite celebrity fundraiser benefiting Children’s Mercy, launched its 16th year with laughs, heartfelt moments and a shared sense of purpose. Many are familiar with the pre-Royals celebrity softball game and T-Mobile Center Big Slick Show, but Big Slick is a three-day event that brings so much joy into our hospital walls — including patient bingo, a magic show, patient visits and Friendly Feud in the Big Slick Auditorium, a space named in honor of the event’s extraordinary impact.

Children’s Mercy President and CEO Alejandro (Ale) Quiroga kicked off the May 30 press conference with an inspiring speech.

“Big Slick happens organically in a city like this,” said Ale. “You can’t build this with a business plan. It takes Kansas City, and it takes Children’s Mercy. For the past 16 years, we’ve raised $25 million and changed how pediatric cancer is diagnosed and treated around the world.”

Ale shared the powerful story of Colin, a 4-year-old patient diagnosed with a rare congenital cancer. Genetic sequencing not only guided Colin’s treatment, it led to testing that revealed a separate cancer risk in his father, prompting life-saving surgery. That same testing is now helping protect Colin’s younger siblings.

“Who would have thought a poker tournament would lead to a life-saving diagnosis for an entire family?” he said.

The hosts reflected on the evolution of Big Slick from its early days as a celebrity poker tournament to a powerhouse weekend of fundraising and community connection.

“Every year it feels like a big hug,” Gardner said. “It’s not just a fundraiser. It’s a family reunion with purpose.”

Asked what they hoped people would remember about Big Slick years from now, the hosts were unified. “That it made a difference,” Sudeikis said. “We love showing off our hometown. We bring people here, and they see how special it is — especially the people and this hospital.”

Big Slick 2025 raised a record-breaking $4.5 million

The hosts and guests, which this year included more than 50 celebrities, gathered Saturday night at the T-Mobile Center for an unforgettable night of performances and fundraising.

One of the most powerful moments of the evening came when the crowd learned about Peter — a cellist, a Boy Scout, an athlete, a chess player… and a fighter. While bravely undergoing treatment for cancer at Children’s Mercy, Peter chose to give back. He started his own fundraiser and donated every penny of his savings — $1,800 — to help other kids like him.

Sadly, Peter passed away just two weeks before this year’s Big Slick. But his spirit and selflessness lit up the T-Mobile Center. After his story played during the show, Peter’s family joined our hosts on stage, where, through heartbreak and with incredible grace, Peter’s father shared his son’s wish: That we continue the fight against cancer in his name.

And the crowd responded. Paddle after paddle went up — many matching Peter’s $1,800 donation — in a wave of love and purpose that helped raise a record-setting $4.5 million.

As always, the highlight of the weekend was the deep connection between the hosts, the hospital and Kansas City.

“Kansas City shows up year after year,” said Riggle. “We just keep the ball rolling — but this city makes the ball bigger.”

By Joseph Hernandez

A fun-filled Saturday night inside T-Mobile Center saw tons of actors, musicians and athletes pool their talents together for one goal: to raise money for Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Donors from all over the world bid on a silent auction with over 50 items, including one-of-a-kind experiences like stunt driving school with “Jackass” star Johnny Knoxville, a self-care day in New York City with “Saturday Night Live” star and Big Slick host Heidi Gardner or a visit to the set of reality TV and comedy show “Impractical Jokers.” 

Ticketed guests also had the opportunity to bid on exclusive items inside the venue as the show was happening on stage, like a “Ted Lasso” experience with Jason Sudeikis that sold for $200,000.

How much did Big Slick 2025 raise? 

So how much did the Big Slick crew of Gardner, Jason Sudeikis, Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd, Eric Stonestreet and David Koechner, flanked by famous friends Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Kenan Thompson, Katherine McNamara and 40 other stars raise for Children’s Mercy in 2025?

In total, the event raised a whopping $4,530,012 — a new record for Big Slick.

Read the full article via The Kansas City Star

Big Slick 2025

By Lisa Gutierrez

This is in no way shade or disrespect to the many celebrities who come to Kansas City every year to raise money for Children’s Mercy during Big Slick Celebrity Weekend. 

But there are two stars in particular who tend to draw the wildest cheers from the KC crowds: Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his football BFF, tight end Travis Kelce. 

So the good news for their fans today is that both are on the guest list for this year’s event. 

The two-day event takes place May 30-31. The annual weekend raises money for pediatric cancer research at Children’s Mercy Kansas City.

As always, this year’s event involves two core events: 

The Big Slick Celebrity Classic Softball Game will take place on the main field at Kauffman Stadium on Friday, May 30, before the Royals play the Detroit Tigers. Everyone with a Royals ticket can watch the softball game, which begins at 5 p.m. 

The Big Slick Party & Show, the weekend’s main event, is Saturday, May 31, at T-Mobile Center. The raucous event includes musical performances, skits and an auction for big-ticket items. 

Tickets, starting at $75, are available at bigslickkc.org.

Read the full article via The Kansas City Star

The first group of tickets go on sale Tuesday for the 16th annual Big Slick Celebrity Weekend, the star-studded fundraiser for pediatric cancer research at Children’s Mercy Kansas City. 

Kansas City’s homegrown squad of A-listers — Heidi Gardner, Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, David Koechner and Eric Stonestreet — host the event and bring lots of celebrity friends with them. 

Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have also appeared at the party and main event at the T-Mobile Center in recent years.

This year’s two-day event takes places May 30-31. Since its first year in 2010 as a celebrity poker tournament and party, Big Slick has raised more than $25 million for the hospital and the children it serves.

Read the full article via The Kansas City Star

Big Slick

It’s been a year since Children’s Mercy Hospital announced an ambitious program called Illuminate, which aims to dramatically expand the rising need for youth mental-health services and address the lack of current infrastructure.

The $150-million initiative, which former KSHB 41 News Anchor Dia Wall documented last year when it launched, is a five-year plan that encompasses 14 projects.

The goal is to increase early intervention, increase speciality services, invest in research and innovation, and expand hospital care.

“We are starting to see the fruits of our labor come to fruition and see some results in some of our programs,” Emily Snow, the senior administrative director of behavioral health for Children’s Mercy, said. “We still have a long way to go and we’ve still got a long runway for some of our programs.”

Children’s Mercy has already opened its Depression and Anxiety in Youth, or DAY, Clinic, which treats patients ages 12 to 17 years old with group and individual therapy as well as medication as needed.

More than 1,000 patients have taken part in more than 3,000 family therapy appointments and 2,000 individual therapy appointments already in 2024.

See the full story via KSHB 41

Illuminate project updates

Mental health resources

“Our plans expand access to specialty care, improve early intervention and screening, increase the capacity of inpatient beds in the region, and invest in research to better understand and improve treatments,” said Paul Kempinski, MS, FACHE, President and CEO, Children’s Mercy. “The success of this initiative requires engagement and collaboration of the community, and we are grateful for the generous support thus far. We are excited about the impact we can achieve together in improving the well-being of many children.”

More than 15 million children need mental health services, but only 30-50 percent receive care. In the Kansas City region, those numbers are higher, with 40-50 percent going untreated.

“Thanks to the impact of over 3,200 community champions we have secured $120 million to-date, making significant strides in one short year by expanding access to pediatric mental health services at an astonishing pace,” Jenea Oliver, PhD, Children’s Mercy Chief Development Officer said. “This $17 million matching gift gets us one step closer to fully funding our Illuminate plan, impacting more than 80,000 kids over the next five years in desperate need of mental health services.”

The impact of the generosity of community champions is already making a difference – rapidly increasing the types of mental health services available to local families:

• This week the new Mental Wellness Campus in Olathe opens 48 beds dedicated to kids in need of in-patient care. 
• The Children’s Mercy Eating Disorders Clinic has eliminated wait times for families and expanded care for Avoidance/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (AFRID) – the only consolidated program in the region to offer medical treatment, nutrition services and therapy for ARFID.
• The Depression and Anxiety in Youth (DAY) Clinic at Children’s Mercy Adele Hall Campus has seen a more than 60% improvement in both anxiety and depression scores of patients.
• A pilot program embedding behavioral health specialists in primary care practices across the Kansas City metro is transforming wait times from months to minutes.

“We are starting to see the impact of Illuminate, but the need is still significant, and we must continue to work toward meeting that need – families are depending on us,” said Rebecca Johnson, PhD, Children’s Mercy Director of Developmental and Behavioral Health. “In 2023, Children’s Mercy provided care to nearly 4,000 children with acute mental health needs in our emergency department. We are hopeful that the new Olathe Mental Wellness Campus, combined with new acute care services currently under construction, will reduce the time kids in crisis spend in our ED, or avoid it altogether. These acute care initiatives paired with our other new programs will do so much to improve care for youth in crisis because we will be able to intervene sooner.”

The Illuminate project includes four strategies and 14 projects, of which two are complete, seven have been initiated and three more will begin construction this Spring. Learn more at childrensmercy.org/illuminate. 

 In 2023 alone, 4,000 children and teens visited Children’s Mercy’s Emergency Room (ER) with behavioral health challenges. Of those, 20% required hospitalization for inpatient mental health treatment, which can be difficult to find in the Kansas City area due to community needs significantly outweighing bed availability. From 2019-2021, the National Institutes of Health reported a significant increase in ER visits for adults experiencing suicidality, substance use overdoses and mental health crises. This new mental health campus will work to address those trends in our region.

 “This new hospital is going to transform people’s lives, and for many people, it will be lifesaving,” said Kimberly O’Connor-Soule, LSCSW, President, Children’s Mercy + Camber Mental Health. “Children and adults experiencing a deeply vulnerable and difficult time in their life will receive treatment in a safe, therapeutic, and uplifting environment that is free of judgment and focused on a whole-person approach to care to restore hope and celebrate each step forward.”

 The new world-class facility will serve as an inpatient mental health campus, featuring 48 pediatric beds (ages 6 to 18) and 24 adult beds (ages 18 and older) in fully separate units. It has six interior and exterior courtyards, large dayrooms, and dining and activity spaces. The healing environment is centered on client and staff safety, supportive care and treatment spaces, and client wellness. Clients can expect bright open spaces, calming design and the highest quality of clinical and holistic care.

 “We are celebrating the power of collaboration and community,” said Jason Hooper, MSW, President and CEO, KVC Health Systems. “I am humbled and deeply grateful for the hundreds of people who have supported this effort and who have worked tirelessly to bring this vision to life as quickly as possible to help more people. This is a beacon of hope for those who are struggling and it’s a renewed commitment to the wellbeing of our communities.”

Patients may be struggling with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, the impacts of trauma and other mental health conditions. Clients will move around the campus throughout the day to experience therapies like recreation, art, and music, with opportunities to connect with nature. A child’s average stay is five to seven days, while for adults, an average stay is eight to 12 days. The goal is to stabilize the crisis a client is experiencing as soon and as safely as possible while teaching them how the brain works, teaching emotion regulation and coping skills, and offering the support and resources needed to continue outpatient treatment in their home communities.

“This collaboration underscores our collective dedication to expanding capacity and delivering essential mental health resources to the youth in our region,” said Paul Kempinski, MS, FACHE, President and CEO, Children’s Mercy. “Many children have endured extended wait times in the emergency department due to a lack of available beds in the community and we are optimistic that this new campus will significantly reduce the time children spend in crisis waiting for the appropriate care that is needed.”

The new hospital was made possible by generous contributions from the Sunderland Foundation, the State of Kansas, Fore the Kids Foundation, Kao Family Foundation and many caring individuals.    

“Like much of the nation, Kansas is facing a mental health crisis,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “The Children’s Mercy and Camber Mental Health Wellness Campus will provide the critical resources and care that young people in Kansas and surrounding states need to overcome these challenges.” 

“It is truly inspiring to witness the hard work and commitment of everyone involved in making this vision for an innovative new mental health hospital for adults and children a reality,” said Kent Sunderland, Chairman, The Sunderland Foundation.  “We’re proud to join KVC Health Systems, Children’s Mercy and many other donors to create hope and healing for thousands of families each year.”

Children’s Mercy + Camber Mental Health is proud to collaborate with JE Dunn Construction as the design-builder and Hoefer Welker as the architect and interior designer on this innovative inpatient hospital and mental wellness campus.

For more information, please visit cmcmentalhealth.org

The 16th Big Slick Celebrity Weekend will take place May 30-31, 2025, organizers of the charity event announced Tuesday. 

The usual group of Kansas City stars are expected to co-host — Heidi Gardner, David Koechner, Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd, Eric Stonestreet and Jason Sudeikis. An “army of generous celebrity friends” is also promised. 

The event is a “don’t miss” on Kansas City’s activities calendar every year, drawing stars from TV, film and music to town for several days. 

What began in 2010 as a celebrity poker tournament to raise money for Children’s Mercy has become the city’s biggest celebrity event.

Read the full article via The Kansas City Star

Big Slick '25

The Children’s Mercy Research Institute served as the perfect setting to celebrate the elevation of this esteemed group of clinicians, researchers and leaders to academic medicine’s highest achievement and the generous donors who made these endowed positions possible.

Donor investment in endowed faculty positions is highly impactful for an academic health center like Children’s Mercy. Each creates a stable financial foundation that supports the holder’s salary, research and academic activities. As a result, these positions help attract and retain top-tier physicians and researcher by providing them with the resources and recognition need to purse innovative work. They signify a commitment to excellence in pediatric health care, encouraging continuous advancements in medical research, leadership and patient care.

“Endowed faculty positions represent one of the most meaningful forms of philanthropy - leaving a lasting legacy that directly impacts children’s health and well-being. These positions are not only prestigious, but also essential for fostering an environment of innovation and excellence in pediatric medicine,” said Paul Kempinski, Children’s Mercy President and CEO, Alice Berry, DDS, and Katharine Berry, MD, Endowed Chair in Executive Leadership. “The impact: best-in-class experts and care for children and families who call Kansas City and our region home.”

2024 Honorees

Brooke Fridley, MS, PhD
Stanley H. Durwood Foundation Endowed Chair in Health Outcomes

Stephanie Meyer, MS-FNP, RN, NEA-BC
Bernell Hevner O’Donnell, RN Endowed Chair – Chief Nursing Officer

Laura Vricella, MD, FACOG
Elizabeth J. Ferrell Chair in Maternal Fetal Medicine

Thank you to the Stanley H. Durwood Foundation, Dr. Randall and Melva O’Donnell and Jim and Elizabeth Ferrell for their visionary leadership and generosity in establishing these vital positions to ensure Children’s Mercy remains a center of excellence for children and families in our community. Together, we are building a world of well-being for all children.

Learn more about the honorees and donors

In a groundbreaking move to address the rising mental health crisis, Children's Mercy Hospital and Camber Mental Health will open a 72-bed mental wellness campus at 1277 W. 153rd St. in Olathe, Kansas.

“It’s really life-changing," said Sara Schlagel, senior vice president at Children's Mercy Camber. "We are able to provide services to children and adults like we never have before.”

The facility is the first of its kind in the metro area, providing comprehensive mental health services for teens and adults.

The campus, a $53 million project, offers a combination of inpatient care, hospital services, and holistic care.

This unique approach is designed to create a more supportive and nurturing environment for patients seeking mental health help.

See the full story via KSHB 41

Mental Health Resources

Illuminate Project Updates

A special cup of coffee at The Roasterie will benefit families staying at Children’s Mercy Hospital.

The "Comfort Cup" was created in honor of Nora Jane, who was born at 23 weeks and spent 11 months in the NICU before passing due to an illness.

"Probably the bravest person I’ve ever met," Brian Stockinger, Nora Jane's father, said. "The ability to speak of her and talk about her and share her stories with others is her legacy."

Her parents, Mary Sciortino and Brian Stockinger, say during that difficult year, a cup of coffee at The Roasterie’s Children’s Mercy location was a sense of normalcy they needed.

See the full story via KSHB 41

Support Children's Mercy families

The Ronald McDonald House rooms inside Children’s Mercy got an upgrade over the last year.

“It’s kind of become a sacred place to us,” Chandler VanSickle said.

The VanSickle family used the former Ronald McDonald House Charities’ family room while their daughter, Bella, received treatment.

The collection of 10 rooms, bathrooms and laundry facilities are now known as a Ronald McDonald House, similar to those located off Cherry Street.

Dr. Brad Warady was a part of bringing Ronald McDonald House inside Children’s Mercy back in 1997 and now works as the hospital’s director of nephrology.

“The support the kids get from family is as or more important than the medicine that we give them, so it’s crucial,” Warady said. “And Ronald McDonald House plays a huge role in the support of families and in turn the recovery of the kids."

See the full story via KSHB 41

Join our Children's Mercy Community of Champions

An all-star lineup of Kansas City hometown heroes hosted the 15th anniversary of Big Slick May 31 - June 1. 

The weekend raises money for pediatric cancer research at Children's Mercy Kansas City.

TODAY's Al Roker got to play some Friendly Feud and some softball.

He also learned about the impact Big Slick is having for families.

See the full story via TODAY Show

Big Slick '24

Children's Mercy Research Institute

Children's Mercy Cancer Center

When I first heard that the Big Slick Party & Show on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Center was going to revive the old “Saturday Night Live” skit best known as “Da Bears,” I was skeptical about how they’d contour it to modern times and a Kansas City audience. 

But at an event that featured the spectacle of Patrick Mahomes standing on stage throwing autographed footballs auctioned for $15,000 each to Travis Kelce to deliver in the crowd, nearly half the current cast of “SNL” and endless entertainment for a wonderful cause, the act formally known as “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans” struck me as the most memorable performance of the night. 

While the most significant highlight was the show-stopping “reveal” that this weekend’s efforts had raised $3,973,637 (and now $25,002,638 over 15 years) for Children’s Mercy hospital, “Da Bears” bit was downright “SNL”-worthy but all the more resonant because it was scripted for us.

Read the full article via The Kansas City Star

Big Slick '24

Children's Mercy Research Institute

Children's Mercy Cancer Center

In between the wisecracks and giggles and silliness at their press conference Friday morning, the homegrown co-hosts of Big Slick Celebrity Weekend made a point to emphasize what it’s really all about. 

Eric Stonestreet teared up as he recalled a moment musician Philip Bowen shared with a young Children’s Mercy patient. 

“We walked into a little girl’s room last year and she clearly loved Disney and we just said, ‘What’s your favorite Disney song?’ And she said Little Mermaid,” Stonestreet said. “(Bowen) just goes right into ‘The Little Mermaid’ theme and my group just stood there as this little girl swayed along to Philip playing, and then he played another one.” 

“We walked out and Philip literally crumbled to his knees and started crying because he couldn’t believe what he was able to do and witness. In that moment, he said he will never say no to coming here as long as you invite me and that happens with every one of our groups.” 

The celebrity-led charity weekend is back in Kansas City and is the biggest ever. The annual fundraiser celebrates 15 years of benefiting Children’s Mercy, and this year hosts Stonestreet, Heidi Gardner, Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis assembled the largest assortment of celebrity guests in its history — 59 in total.

Read the full article via The Kansas City Star

Big Slick '24

Children's Mercy Research Institute

Children's Mercy Cancer Center

Melvin White sits with his generation at a demographic Ground Zero for mental stress.

The Schlagle High School junior survived COVID isolation during middle school. He’s never known a world without smartphones. And he’s finishing high school amid the FOMO energy of a social media world in its own adolescence.

All of those factors, experts say, put Melvin and his classmates at the center of uncharted ground for mental health. It has psychiatric professionals worried about suicides for the most troubled kids and recognizing serious problems among more kids than have been recorded before.

Melvin is one of the lucky ones. He got a spot in his school’s Becoming a Man, or BAM program, which teaches middle and high school students how to process trauma, deal with anger, interact with friends and set goals. Its counterpart for girls is Working on Womanhood, or WOW.

Children’s Mercy Hospital has seen a 67% increase in referrals for mental health services since 2017. Only 166 psychiatric beds for children and adolescents exist within 45 minutes of Kansas City, and those beds aren’t available to some patients who have other medical conditions or certain neurodevelopmental disorders. 

The hospital estimates that between 40% and 50% of kids who need mental health care in the Kansas City area may go untreated. 

Last summer, Children’s Mercy announced a $150 million fundraising campaign to put more money into the problem. Among other things, the hospital is working to embed mental health professionals in schools and pediatrician practices, add psychiatric beds for kids and open an outpatient facility that can serve kids who need mental health services in a school-like setting.

That will be a start, said Dr. Bob Batterson, who leads the hospital’s Developmental and Behavioral Health division. But COVID left an enormous need where there was already a growing void, he said.

“There is no true health care without mental health care,” Batterson said. “It all is one package.”

Read the full article via The Beacon

Illuminate Project updates

Children’s Mercy, along with other community leaders, held a youth mental health summit Tuesday morning to address current challenges and disparities.

“The suicide rates among African American children are rising faster than the suicide rates among white children,” said Emily Snow, senior administrative director of behavioral health at Children's Mercy KC.

The Kansas City community is experiencing a mental health crisis that's impacting adults, teens and kids, experts said. Last year, Children's Mercy saw more than 4,000 emergency room visits just for behavioral health issues.

The three biggest barriers are the social stigma around mental health, lack of resources and mental health provider shortage, according to mental health leaders.

“The majority of Missouri and Kansas are mental health professional shortage areas,” Snow said. “We’ll have to adjust our pay and our marketability to bring more people.”

Experts said isolation during the pandemic and social media exposure exacerbated depression and anxiety in children. While more than 15 million American children need mental health resources, only 30-50% are getting the help they need.

See the full story via KSHB 41

Suicide awareness and prevention toolkit

Illuminate Project updates

Through donations and partnerships, Summit Homes plans to build the home as close to zero cost as possible, allowing all proceeds to be donated to Children's Mercy.

“We are so grateful to Summit Homes, and all vendors making this possible, for their commitment to our community and pediatric mental health,” said Rob Steele, Executive Vice President.

The home will be listed for sale in summer 2024 and completed in Fall 2024. This is the second home Summit Homes has built to support Children’s Mercy.

Community champions like Summit Homes and their vendors fuel the Children’s Mercy nonprofit mission to provide excellent care for all children in Kansas City and across the region. Their support powers much-needed life-saving new initiatives, like Illuminate, that will expand mental care access and treatment for youth in Kansas City and beyond.

Many thanks to these Summit Homes for Little Heroes partner vendors:

Shaw Floors, Ferguson Showrooms, Roofs by Aspen, The Rob Ellerman Team, Northcraft Flooring & Design, Stone Creek Midwest, Silverton Mortgage, Shamrock Cabinet, Royal Construction Clean, Premier Building Supply, Timber Ridge Trim Company, Jake Heiser

More information on the Summit Home for Little Heroes

National Nurses Week gave patients and their families the chance to show love and respect for the work of nurses across the area, including those at Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Nurses welcome newborns into the world and provide peace and comfort to those at the end of their lives.

“Some of the most heartwarming moments were those babies who had really rough transitions into life, and you got to get a baby out to hold with a mom for the first time or to hold for a dad for the first time, and just being there for those special moments that not all people get to experience on the other side,” said Annie Craig, Senior Director of Children’s Mercy Hospital's Neonatal and Perinatal Services.

See the full story via KSHB 41

Nursing at Children's Mercy

Ways to Give to Children's Mercy

This should make a lot of people happy: Sheryl Crow is coming back to perform for Big Slick Celebrity Weekend. 

Two years ago, the nine-time Grammy winner and Missouri native lit up T-Mobile Center with three songs during the fundraiser for pediatric cancer research at Children’s Mercy Hospital. 

This year’s 15th fundraiser takes place Friday and Saturday, May 31 and June 1. Crow will perform Saturday night at the Big Slick Party & Show at T-Mobile, organizers announced Friday. 

And, because sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, actor George Wendt — lovable barfly Norm on “Cheers” and uncle to Big Slick co-host Jason Sudeikis — will also appear.

Read the full article via The Kansas City Star

See the names of all of the celebrity guests coming to Big Slick in 2024

Children's Mercy Kansas City Cancer Center

The Kansas City skyline is turning green to bring attention to 988, the number people can call if they need mental health support services.

Since it opened a little more than a year ago, Children’s Mercy has helped between 200 to 300 teens through its new clinic, treating depression and anxiety.

Dr. Ram Chettiar with the clinic says about 75 have completed the program from start to finish, which includes different services like individual and group therapy along with medication management services. It’s also a nine to 12 month program.

“With limited resources, limited mental health professionals, it’s been a really nice possibility for some in our community,” Chettiar said. “What we are trying to do is get kids better quickly so they can move on with their lives.”

See the full story via Fox 4

Depression and Anxiety in Youth (DAY) Clinic

Illuminate Project Updates

The first peer-reviewed consensus statement on healthcare for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) is meant to start correcting the inequitable access to appropriate care that these children experience compared with their peers without NDDs. The statement was published in Pediatrics.

The disparities in healthcare culture, mindset, and practice often start in childhood for young people with conditions including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), wrote co–first authors Carol Weitzman, MD, co-director of the Autism Spectrum Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, and Cy Nadler, PhD, section chief of Autism Psychology at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, Missouri, and colleagues.

Without better access to safe and appropriate care, people with NDDs experience more seclusion, accidents, restraints, and injury in healthcare encounters, the researchers wrote.

Read the full article via MDedge

The Autism and Neurodevelopment Continuity Clinic (ANDCC) pilot program is one of 14 Illuminate projects that will be implemented over five years.  

Click here to learn more about the ANDCC and other resources offered at Children's Mercy. 

The 9th annual Noah’s Bandage Run took place on April 14. The 5k race honors the memory of Noah Wilson, a 7-year-old Johnson County boy who lost his battle to cancer in 2015.

“Noah was a happy kid. He was healthy. He loved sports, loved the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs and he was just a busy kid, but his heart, he just had a heart to help others,” said Noah’s mother Deborah Wilson.

Wilson was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer in April 2014 and underwent many treatments. He found comfort in the creativity of a bandage.

“He was poked and prodded multiple times and asked the nurse one day, do you have a fun band-aid, that you could put on and unfortunately they didn’t, they just had the plain ones,” she said.

In the 10 years since the project launched, they’ve fundraised $1.7 million for childhood cancer research at Children’s Mercy. It’s the hospital where Wilson received care before he passed away.

See the full story via KCTV 5

Children's Mercy Cancer Center

Children's Mercy Kansas City Research Institute

By Lisa Gutierrez

The first round of tickets went on sale March 19 for the 15th annual Big Slick Celebrity Weekend, the popular star-studded fundraiser for pediatric cancer research at Children’s Mercy Kansas City. 

Kansas City’s own Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, David Koechner, Eric Stonestreet and Heidi Gardner and their celebrity friends return May 31 and June 1. 

“We’ve got some new and exciting guests and we’re going to release that information coming up,” Rudd told The Star. 

The biggest slate of celebrity guests last year helped Big Slick raise more than $3.5 million, a record. Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce appeared at the party and main event at the T-Mobile Center. 

To date, Big Slick has raised more than $20 million, helping to attract top medical and research talent by exposing a national audience to the work of the Children’s Mercy Research Institute.

Read the full article via The Kansas City Star

Big Slick Celebrity Weekend '24

Braden’s Hope for Childhood Cancer held its Hope Connect Annual Research Update on March 21 to celebrate the achievements in childhood cancer research made possible by its donors. Hosted at the Children’s Mercy Research Institute, the event featured Braden’s Hope awards totaling $5.5 million, which includes advancing six collaborative research projects led by teams of investigators from Children’s Mercy Kansas City and the University of Kansas Cancer Center.

Dr. J. Steven Leeder, PharmD, PhD, Interim Executive Director of the Children’s Mercy Research Institute, opened the update by emphasizing the importance of collaborative research funded by Braden’s Hope. 

“Thanks to Braden’s Hope our research projects not only include investigators at Children’s Mercy and KU Cancer Center, but those across the US and Mexico. Today, a total of 13 institutions and 42 researchers are involved in Braden’s Hope research projects,” Dr. Leeder said. “This is important because together we are stronger – thanks to Braden’s Hope, we are able to share our knowledge across multiple institutions – with the goal to bring more hope to kids right here in the Midwest.”

Children’s Mercy is the consortium partner with KU Cancer Center—the region’s only NCI comprehensive cancer center. Comprehensive status is the highest level of recognition awarded by the National Cancer Institute and represents the gold standard for cancer centers.

Braden’s Hope funded projects include:

·       Advancing new treatment options for children and young adults diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma—led by investigators Terrie Flatt, DO, MA, and Andrew Godwin, PhD

·       Developing targeted therapies for children with a uniquely devastating type of leukemia—led by investigators Erin Guest, MD, John Perry, PhD, and Jay Vivian, PhD

·       Identifying drugs that specifically kill sarcoma cells with one Ewing sarcoma Region 1 gene while sparing normal, healthy cells—led by investigators Tomoo Iwakuma, MD, PhD, and Mizuki Azuma, PhD

·       Understanding how a tumor’s genetic makeup affects its response to T cell therapy—led by Midhat Farooqi, MD, PhD

·       Stimulating the immune system to find and kill cancer stem cells by using a classic chemotherapy drug in a targeted way —led by John Perry, PhD

·       Developing a new compound that kills cancer cells lacking p53, an important tumor suppressor found in the body—led by Tomoo Iwakuma, MD, PhD

As part of the update, Deliece Hofen, President of Braden’s Hope, held a panel discussion with the funded researchers who answered questions about their work. Deliece knows first-hand the importance of advancing research for kids. Her youngest son, Braden, battled childhood cancer three times, starting when he was just three years old. During Braden’s second battle with cancer, he faced the words "no known cure" and his odds for survival were less than 10 percent. 

“Thankfully, my son Braden has defied all odds and is now living cancer-free; however, he lives with many long-term health complications based on the harsh treatment he received at such a young age,” Hofen said. “Our goal at Braden's Hope, is for all families to receive the best, cutting-edge treatment available, without having to leave Kansas City. We want to give children and families diagnosed with cancer, hope for a future because no family should ever have to hear the words: no known cure.” 

Children's Mercy Research Institute

By Rebecca Gannon

It's a breakthrough for a rare disease diagnosis, and it has wide-reaching impacts on children from Canada to Puerto Rico and beyond. And it's all because of the Children's Mercy Research Institute in Kansas City.

The work in the Children's Mercy Research Institute lab is more than vials and samples. It is hope and answers.

"The Genomic Medicine Center at Children's Mercy has been doing cutting-edge genomic diagnostics in children for over ten years," explained its director, Dr. Tomi Pastinen. "In the last four years, we've adopted the most advanced genomic sequencing technology, first in the world for diagnosis of children with rare diseases," he continued.

See the full story via KMBC 9

Children's Mercy Kansas City First to Use 5-Base HiFi Genomic Sequencing in the Clinical Setting

Children's Mercy Kansas City Research Institute

Genomic Answers for Kids

One Kansas City metro family is paying back during this holiday season.

Sales from their new children’s book will go to the hospital that helped their premature baby seven years ago.

New Kansas City author Cristin Rogers looks through the eyes of Charlotte, her 9-year-old daughter, as part of “Grow Baby Grow,” an illustrated children’s book that recalls the birth of Cristin’s younger daughter Tilly, who was born at 31 weeks.

Doctors at Children’s Mercy Hospital detected a concern with Tilly’s heart.

See the full story via Fox 4

Children's Mercy Fetal Health Center

Children's Mercy Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Ways to Give to Children's Mercy

By Grace Mayer

When Paul Kempinski took over the helm of Children's Mercy in 2018, the $200 million Children’s Mercy Research Institute was only a shell.

In the five years since, the state-of-the-art pediatric research facility was finished, becoming a nine-story mainstay of Kansas City's skyline. And that was only part of the sea change Kempinski has witnessed as CEO.

In his first year, Kempinski and his team laid out a strategic plan that would take Children’s Mercy into the future, which included the multimillion-dollar research institute. But he didn't account for the Covid-19 pandemic, which struck in March 2020.

It overwhelmed hospital systems in Kansas City and across the world, but Children’s Mercy fared differently. Most children who contracted Covid-19 showed no symptoms and avoided hospitalization. As it shifted its clinics to telehealth services, hospital patients at Children’s Mercy plummeted. So did finances.

“We had empty hospitals, empty clinics. We were struggling financially,” Kempinski said. “We were struggling to ensure we could provide care to the kids that needed it, while still respecting the need for (social) distancing and safe care.”

The hospital eventually recovered, but the pandemic helped Kempinski uncover additional priorities.

Read the full article via The Kansas City Business Journal

Children's Mercy Kansas City Research Institute

Mental Health Care: Lighting the Path Forward

The word illuminate means to make something more visible by shining a light on it.

It's also the name and purpose of a new mental health campaign and commitment at Children's Mercy Hospital.

I first heard about the new plan this summer. The financial investment is a bold one — $150 million.

The more I looked into the 14 programs set to begin in the next five years, the more I felt compelled to share a series of stories highlighting some of its components.

My why is simple: more families than you may know are battling youth mental health and struggling to get access to the help they need.

Illuminate plans to — 

Facilitate early intervention

• Mental health integration in primary care;
• School-based programs;
• Care coordination (intake, triage and navigation);
• Behavioral therapy services.

Increase specialty services

• Depression and anxiety (DAY Clinic);
• Eating disorders;
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD);
• Autism;
• Rapid diagnosis.

Invest in research and innovation

• Precision dosing for mental health medication;
• Ensuring equity in care;
• Patient education;
• Safety plan app;
• Clinician education.

Expand inpatient hospital care

• Inpatient psychiatric campus;
• Acute mental health crisis center;
• Partial hospital program;
• Integrated inpatient unit.

See the series of news stories via KSHB 41

Mental Health Care: Lighting the Path Forward

Illuminate project updates

She talked with Dr. Tomi Pastinen and his team in the Children's Mercy Genomic Medicine Center.

Watch the full story via NBC News

Children's Mercy Kansas City First to Use 5-Base HiFi Genomic Sequencing in the Clinical Setting

Children's Mercy Kansas City Research Institute

Children's Mercy Kansas City Genomic Medicine Center

Every day, dozens of children come to the Emergency Department at Children’s Mercy due to a behavioral health crisis. Children like Elizabeth. Elizabeth was diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety as an elementary school student, but her conditions were exasperated by the pandemic and a spiraling crisis led to a trip to the Children’s Mercy emergency room, except there was a problem – there were no hospital beds available for intensive inpatient treatment in a 150-mile radius of Kansas City. Elizabeth finally got the care she needed, and today she is a vibrant high school freshman. But her story reminds us why each aspect of our comprehensive mental health plan is critical for our community’s children. Watch Elizabeth’s full story.

Your donations can go twice as far to help kids like Elizabeth. All gifts received on Giving Tuesday will be matched $1 for $1 until we reach $100,000.

Join us today to double your impact! 

On any given day, Children’s Mercy Kansas City will see about 24 children in the emergency room with behavioral or mental health issues.

The most common mental health disorders that children are diagnosed within the ER are mood disorders, anxiety disorders and behavioral and emotional disorders.

Emily Snow, senior Administrative Director for behavioral health at Children's Mercy Hospital, said they’ve seen these types of visits increase as much as 20% annually in recent years.

“We have kids as young as 3 who are coming through the emergency room,” Snow said. “We also have a lot of kiddos who come through who have neurodevelopmental disorders or autism spectrum disorders who are struggling either with behavioral dysregulation or medication adjustment needs. It's very hard to get care right now.”

In ERs across the city, the same situation is playing out — but with hospitals even less equipped to handle the load.

Read the full article via KCUR

Mental Health Care: Lighting the Path Forward

Illuminate Project Updates

Big Slick organizers want you to save the date.

The celebrity charity event — hosted by Kansas City natives Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, David Koechner, Eric Stonestreet and Heidi Gardner — is returning for its 15th year on May 31 and June 1, 2024.

Organizers will reveal celebrities attending, plus ticket information, in the spring.

The weekend event benefits pediatric cancer research at Children's Mercy Kansas City.

See the full story via Fox 4

Big Slick

Children's Mercy Kansas City Cancer Center

Children’s Mercy formally invested five endowed faculty positions in the fields of healthy lifestyles, clinical pharmacology, neurology, surgery and developmental and behavioral health at the Fall 2023 Investiture Ceremony on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.

The Children’s Mercy Research Institute was the perfect setting to celebrate the elevation of this esteemed group of clinicians, researchers and leaders to academic medicine’s highest achievement and the generous donors who made these endowed positions possible.

Philanthropy has powered the hospital, treatment and cures for children for more than 125 years. Thanks to our philanthropic community, Children’s Mercy has more than doubled its total number of endowed chairs - bringing more answers to children and families when they need them most!

“Through extraordinary donor investment, endowed positions provide ongoing financial support to advance excellence in pediatric medicine, research and teaching, while elevating the academic profile of Children’s Mercy and its stature as a national leader,” said Paul Kempinski, Children’s Mercy President and CEO, Alice Berry, DDS, and Katharine Berry, MD, Endowed Chair in Executive Leadership. “The impact: best-in-class experts and care for children and families who call Kansas City and our region home.”

Honorees

Sarah E. Hampl, MD

Kemper Endowed Professorship for Healthy Lifestyles

Bridgette L. Jones, MD, MSCR

Marion Merrell Dow/Missouri Endowed Chair in Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology

Jean-Baptiste Le Pichon, MD, PhD, FAAP

Madison Lauren Sargent Endowed Professorship in Neurology/Angelman Syndrome

Tolulope A. Oyetunji, MD, MPH, FACS, FAAP

Thomas Holder/Keith Ashcraft Chair in Pediatric Surgical Research

 Shayla A. Sullivant, MD

Joy and Stewart Koesten Endowed Professorship in Developmental and Behavioral Health

Learn more about the honorees and donors

Thank you to the Kemper Family Foundations, UMB Bank, n.a. Trustee, the Marion Merrell Dow Foundation, Fred Lyons, Ed Connolly, Patrick and Laura Sargent, Maddie’s Mission Foundation, The Shaw Family Foundation, Thomas Holder and Keith Ashcraft, and Joy and Stewart Koesten for their visionary leadership and generosity in establishing these vital positions for the continued work of building a world of well-being for all children.

Nearly half of Kansas City area children needing mental health services aren’t getting the help they need, but Children’s Mercy is aiming to change that.

The children’s hospital recently unveiled an ambitious $150 million five-year plan, called Illuminate, that will focus on four areas to increase mental health access for the under-eighteen-year-old crowd. The intention is to help at least eighty thousand area children, hospital officials say.

“Mental health needs have continued to rise at an alarming rate, and parents and families are feeling the absence of a full continuum of care,” says Paul Kempinski, president and CEO of Children’s Mercy. 

According to Children’s Mercy, fifteen million children under eighteen years old are in need of mental health services across the nation, yet thirty to fifty percent of patients aren’t receiving it. In the greater Kansas City area, that number is even higher, closer to forty to fifty percent. 

Over the next five years, Children’s Mercy’s Illuminate initiative will use what it calls a series of “strategies and projects” to address the pediatric mental health care crisis. The initiative is focused on four areas to increase mental health care access: facilitating early intervention, increasing special services, expanding inpatient hospital care and funding new research. Illuminate plans to provide specialized care for everything from anxiety, depression and eating disorders to ADHD and autism. 

Read the full article via Kansas City Magazine

To learn more about the 14 Illuminate projects and how you can help light the path forward visit childrensmercy.org/illuminate.

Children’s Mercy and KVC held a groundbreaking ceremony today with elected officials in attendance including Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, and Former Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman, as well as other state and local leaders. The two healthcare CEOs – Jason Hooper of KVC Health Systems and Paul Kempinski of Children’s Mercy Kansas City – announced generous lead funding from the Sunderland Foundation and the State of Kansas SPARK Committee to kick off the project.

The JV will engage KVC’s subsidiary Camber Mental Health, which operates three children’s mental health hospitals currently, to operate the Olathe hospital for children and adults. Camber’s trauma-informed, neuroscience-driven inpatient mental health treatment model, combined with Children’s Mercy’s world-class pediatric care, research, and community engagement, will elevate mental health and community health outcomes for decades to come.

“We feel a sense of urgency to partner in new, transformative ways to expand help for children and adults experiencing acute mental health crises,” said Jason Hooper, KVC Health Systems President and CEO. “It’s been absolutely inspiring to see so many steps forward, including Children’s Mercy as our JV collaborator and the Sunderland Foundation and the State of Kansas as lead supporters. Mental health deserves our urgent action, and we want the community to know that there is hope and help for anyone who is hurting.”

The new hospital will serve as an inpatient mental health healing campus, which will include three separate 24-bed units – 48 pediatric beds and 24 adult beds, six private courtyards, walking paths, and dining and activity space. The design and healing environment are centered on staff and patient safety, supportive care and treatment spaces, patient wellness, and connection with nature.

“Our country is facing a mental health crisis. This collaboration demonstrates our joint commitment to providing resources and creating greater capacity across Kansas and Missouri to serve children requiring more complex care,” said Paul Kempinski, Children’s Mercy President and CEO. “We continue to see an increasing need for these services each year. In 2022 alone, Children’s Mercy provided care to nearly 3,000 children in our emergency department with acute mental health needs. This new hospital will take a significant strain off area emergency departments that are not well-suited to facilitate care for patients in mental health crisis by increasing access to acute inpatient care designed specifically for their needs.”

“The need to strengthen mental health services is a nonpartisan issue that affects all Kansans, rural and urban alike—and addressing the need pays dividends for everyone,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “A lack of psychiatric beds has been one of the largest barriers to providing mental health care in our state. When completed, this state-of-the-art hospital will take significant pressure off our health care systems.”

“We are honored to be part of creating this new inpatient mental health hospital,” said Kent Sunderland, Chairman, The Sunderland Foundation. “We have a long history of working with both KVC Health Systems and Children’s Mercy. This is the perfect partnership of two leading children’s healthcare organizations that will bring hope to thousands of families in our region.”

Additional private philanthropy is being secured for the $53 million project, which includes a 
72,700-square-foot, state-of-the-art hospital. It will have capacity to care for more than 3,400 patients annually and will create approximately 150 new jobs.

Children’s Mercy and KVC are proud to partner with JE Dunn Construction as the design-builder and Hoefer Welker as the architect and interior designer on this innovative inpatient hospital and mental wellness campus. 

 

For more information about this project and mental health statistics and resources, visit childrensmercy.org, kvc.org, and cambermentalhealth.org.

Please note: Inpatient hospitalization is for individuals who are actively experiencing a mental health emergency and displaying unsafe behaviors that make them a threat to themselves or others. For immediate intervention in an active emergency, please go to your local emergency room or community mental health center right away or call 911. You can also call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. For Camber Mental Health youth admissions, call (913) 890-7468.

Thanks to the generosity of a $50 million gift from the Sunderland Foundation and a combination of state and private funding, $70 million has been raised to-date.

“Mental health needs have continued to rise at an alarming rate, and parents and families are feeling the absence of a full continuum of care,” said Paul Kempinski, MS, FACHE, President and CEO, Children’s Mercy Kansas City. “We are incredibly grateful to the Sunderland Foundation for believing in our vision and kickstarting Children’s Mercy’s initiative to shine a light on areas of need, ensure the health and wellbeing of each child, and streamline coordination of their care. Over the next five years, we will provide enhanced access to evidence-based screening, diagnosis and treatment while expanding the collective network of services.”

“We are honored to be a part of this ambitious vision to address our youth mental health crisis,” said Kent Sunderland, Chairman, The Sunderland Foundation. “The statistics are staggering, and we, at the Sunderland Foundation, are committed to supporting Children’s Mercy capital projects as they light the path forward, increasing behavioral health services for kids in the region and beyond.”

Children’s Mercy recognizes that to provide the support children desperately need will require a collaborative effort among primary care physicians, outpatient providers, local schools, policy makers, community leaders and caregivers.

In all, Children’s Mercy will focus on the following four areas in a phased approach over the next five years:

Facilitate Early Intervention

Integrate mental health care and behavioral therapy services in school-based programs, and

primary and specialty care to prevent youth from reaching a mental health emergency.

• Mental health integration: Provide pediatric expertise in primary and secondary care through 
  in-person and telemedicine appointments.
• School-based programs: Develop evidence-based programs for school educators.
• Care coordination: Build a new user-friendly, patient-centered care coordination system to streamline provider, community, and self-referrals.
• Behavioral therapy services: Expand social work services to improve family access to interventions.

Increase Specialty Services

Increase access for all with a focus on improved health equity for the most vulnerable populations.

• Depression & Anxiety: New Depression and Anxiety for Youth (DAY) Clinic for patients with anxiety and depression.
• Eating Disorders: Increase the number of providers and expanded access to patients. Offer Intensive Outpatient Program that will provide an eating disorders program for youth when symptoms are too severe for a standard outpatient clinic.
• ADHD: Serve more patients with Complex ADHD that require specialty care.
• Streamlined Diagnosis: Provide patients with suspected ADHD with targeted evaluations to expedite diagnosis and connect to appropriate treatment more quickly.
• Autism: Expand services to offer children diagnosed with Autism yearly visits to monitor development with the goal of reducing emergency services. A support team of behavioral experts will also provide caregivers with guidance when behaviors become unmanageable in the home.

Invest in Research and Innovation

Advance research to broaden knowledge and practice of evidence-based care, leading to data-driven treatments and innovations.

• Research: The GOLDILOK’s PRISM study is designed to understand why fluoxetine (Prozac) works for some teens and not others. The PATHWAY study aims to reduce gaps in mental health services access and address health equity disparities.

Expand Inpatient Hospital Care

Provide urgent mental health care to children in need by expanding in-hospital services and increasing the number of beds available in the community.

• Inpatient Mental Health Campus: Increase the total number of child and adolescent beds within 45 miles of the Kansas City metro area.
• Acute Medical Health Crisis Center: Provide acute mental health screening, triage, assessment, care coordination and short-term stabilization for children with mental health emergencies.
• Partial Hospital Program: Serve as a bridge for children being discharged from in-patient and transferred back into the community for high-acuity care.
• Integrated Inpatient Care Unit: Provide a safe and effective care environment for patients with complex medical and psychiatric needs.

“The increase in behavioral health needs and the scarcity of treatment resources has become a national crisis,” said Sarah Soden, MD, Division Director of Developmental and Behavioral Health, Children’s Mercy Kansas City. “By taking action with the addition of staff, programs and services at all levels of acuity and creating systems to provide coordinated, seamless care, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of our families and patients before it’s too late.”

Learn more about the initiative and how you can help light the path forward at childrensmercy.org/illuminate.