Friday, December 8, 2023
Contact: Contact Alice Warchol: (757) 668-9049 or Alice.Warchol@CHKD.org
CHKD Receives $50,000 Grant from St. Baldrick's Foundation
The grant will support CHKD's cancer research team as they enroll patients in therapeutic and biologic studies.
NORFOLK, Va. -- Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters will receive a $50,000 grant from St. Baldrick’s Foundation to support the hospital’s pediatric cancer research efforts.
CHKD is one of 24 hospitals nationwide – and the only children’s hospital in Virginia -- to receive a 2023 Infrastructure Grant from St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The grant will support CHKD’s cancer research team as they enroll patients in therapeutic and biologic studies. Clinical trials are often a child’s best hope for a cure.
Each year, more than 60 children at CHKD are diagnosed with cancer. For local families, the access to lifesaving care within a short distance from their homes and workplaces can make an incredibly tough journey a little bit easier. The funding from St. Baldrick’s helps CHKD provide the care that local patients need so their families do not have to leave the area to find treatment.
The hematology and oncology program at CHKD follows roughly 500 childhood cancer patients, 500 children with sickle cell disease, and 300 patients with bleeding disorders. Its multidisciplinary team includes physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, nurse assistants, medical assistants, social workers, child life specialists, pharmacists, case managers, education consultants, a dietician, and a chaplain.
The program also has clinical research nurses and research associates who work closely with the medical team to offer clinical research trials to childhood cancer patients.
Over the past 17 years, St. Baldrick’s Foundation has committed more than $1.2 million in support of CHKD’s cancer program. The foundation is the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants.
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About CHKD
CHKD is the only freestanding, full-service, children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, and urgent care centers throughout its service region. In 2022, CHKD opened the 14-story Children’s Pavilion on its campus to address the mental health crisis facing our youth.
About St. Baldrick's Foundation
Every 2 minutes, a child somewhere in the world is diagnosed with cancer. In the U.S., 1 in 5 will not survive. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants, is on a mission to Conquer Kids’ Cancer by supporting the most promising research to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. When you give to St. Baldrick’s, you don’t just give to one hospital – you support virtually every institution with the expertise to treat kids with cancer across the U.S. St. Baldrick’s ensures that children fighting cancer now — and those diagnosed in the future — will have access to the most cutting-edge treatment, by supporting every stage of research, from new ideas in the lab to the training of the next generation of researchers, to lifesaving clinical trials. Visit StBaldricks.org and help #ConquerKidsCancer.
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Monday, November 13, 2023
Contact: Contact Alice Warchol: (757) 668-9049 or Alice.Warchol@CHKD.org
CHKD Opens Outpatient Pharmacy on Main Hospital Campus
Pharmacy
provides specialty services such as pharmaceutical compounding
NORFOLK, Va. -- Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters opened an outpatient pharmacy on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, to fill prescriptions and offer pharmacy services for children and adults in the community.
The CHKD Outpatient Pharmacy, located on the first floor of CHKD’s main hospital at 601 Children’s Lane in Norfolk, provides specialty services such as pharmaceutical compounding, which allows the pharmacist to customize medications based on a doctor’s prescription to meet a patient’s needs. Pharmacists at the CHKD Outpatient Pharmacy can improve the taste of medications with kid-friendly flavoring, formulate medications that are free of allergens and dyes, and create unique dosage forms for specific therapies.
CHKD employees and families celebrated the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Pharmacy staff members then quickly went to work, filling patient prescriptions.
“Having a pharmacy is vital to our patients and our employees,” said Dr. Christopher Foley, CHKD’s chief clinical operations officer. “We’re excited to have it open.”
The CHKD Outpatient Pharmacy will be especially helpful for families with children who were treated in the emergency department or are ready to be discharged from the hospital. Families can stop by the pharmacy to have prescriptions filled before taking their child home.
The pharmacy also offers:
- Consultation with prescribing physicians to adjust dosages or formulations to address specific needs.
- Assistance with high-cost or difficult-to-obtain medications.
- Routine and seasonal vaccines as well as special vaccines recommended for travel.
- A year-round drug take-back program for people to safely dispose of unused or expired prescriptions.
The CHKD Outpatient Pharmacy is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Pharmacy guests should use the visitor parking garage across from the front entrance to the hospital. Short-term parking with a 15-minute limit may be available in front of the hospital. For more information, visit CHKD.org/Pharmacy or call (757) 668-6337.

PIctured: Amy Sampson, CHKD President and CEO; Dr. Christopher Foley, CHKD
Chief Clinical Operations Officer; Nikolaus Lawson, CHKD Director of Pharmacy;
and Allison Silva, CHKD Vice President, Ancillary Services.
### About CHKD
CHKD is the only freestanding, full-service, children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, and urgent care centers throughout its service region. In 2022, CHKD opened the 14-story Children’s Pavilion on its campus to address the mental health crisis facing our youth.
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Friday, May 5, 2023
Contact: Elizabeth Earley: Elizabeth.Earley@CHKD.org or (757) 668-9049
CHKD Receives Grant from Rite Aid Healthy Futures to Improve Food Access and Foster Equity
HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – CHKD has received
a $50,000 Connecting Communities grant from Rite Aid Healthy Futures to provide
low- and moderate-income patient families with healthy, shelf-stable food and
assistance with referral for food and other needs.
With the vision of creating healthier,
more equitable neighborhoods, Rite Aid Healthy Futures has provided more than
$4.5 million in grant funding to leading children’s hospitals across the
country, giving them additional resources to address hunger and food insecurity
through innovative, community-rooted initiatives. A total of 42 hospitals
serving Rite Aid’s 17-state footprint received grants ranging from $25,000 to
$300,000 through Healthy Futures’ Connecting Communities signature initiative.
Launched in 2021, the Connecting
Communities program finds innovative ways to link major institutions and their
communities to nurture and promote health equity for children, especially those
who may already be receiving medical care or living with a serious illness such
as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, among others.
“Healthy communities create healthier
and more resilient children, and the reality is hunger and food insecurity
prevent far too many children, families, and communities from reaching their
full and inherent potential,” said Matt DeCamara, executive director of Rite
Aid Healthy Futures. “We have a call to action – to say ‘enough is enough’ when
we see so many of our neighbors and neighborhoods facing hunger every day. As a
society, we must affect change and strive for more enduring solutions. By
partnering with these incredible hospitals across the country, we hope to reach
kids and families where the need is greatest and treat healthy food as
life-changing medicine.”
At CHKD, the grant will be used for a
food program based at General Academic Pediatrics in CHKD’s new Children’s
Pavilion that identifies which patients and families would benefit from a
pantry bag of shelf-stable food as well as assistance with referrals for food
and other needs. In 2021, CHKD received a $45,000 grant from Rite Aid Healthy
Futures to pilot this program.
“This generous grant will help CHKD
provide strong support services that children and families need to help stay
healthy,” said Kate Ryan, philanthropy officer at CHKD. “We are extremely
grateful to Rite Aid Healthy Futures for recognizing this need and partnering
with us to create healthier futures for our patients.”
About
Rite Aid Healthy Futures
Rite Aid
Healthy Futures, formerly known as The Rite Aid Foundation, is a public charity
dedicated to driving change in communities, with an emphasis on underserved
neighborhoods, focusing on the areas of health, wellness, race and equity.
Together with our donors, Rite Aid associates, community partners and
neighbors, we help lift up local neighborhoods by donating more than $15
million a year to causes, initiatives and organizations that make a difference
in people’s lives. Healthy Futures is proud to be affiliated with Rite Aid, which
provides an array of whole-being health products and services for the entire
family through over 2,000 retail pharmacy locations across 17 states. Visit www.RiteAidHealthyFutures.org to learn
more.
CHKD is the only freestanding children’s
hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children
throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and
northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates
primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health
centers, urgent care centers, and satellite offices throughout its service
region. In 2022, CHKD opened the 60-bed, 14-story Children’s Pavilion on its campus to address the mental health
crisis facing our youth. Learn more at CHKD.org.
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Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Contact:
CHKD Surgery Program Reverified as a Level 1 Center By the American College of Surgeons
HAMPTON
ROADS, Va. – Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters has been reverified by
the American College of Surgeons as a Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center, the highest
level of certification for pediatric hospital surgical programs.
As a Level
1 center, CHKD offers multiple medical and surgical specialties with procedures
for major congenital anomalies and complex diseases. This national level of
excellence encourages continuous quality improvement in pediatric surgery and
identifies centers that provide the most advanced surgical care to children.
Level 1
Children’s Surgery Centers are verified every three years with an extensive
site visit. In November 2022, CHKD hosted a panel of site reviewers from the
American College of Surgeons. This panel consisted of an experienced surgeon,
anesthesiologist, and nurse from other prominent children’s hospitals.
The main
campus in Norfolk and the surgery centers in Virginia Beach and Newport News
were evaluated to ensure the comprehensive standards set by the children's surgery verification
program are met. These standards include continuous efforts to improve surgical
quality and protocols for care, complication prevention, and rigorous criteria
for staffing, training, and facility features.
CHKD
provides exceptional surgical care through a multidisciplinary approach which
includes medical and surgical specialties, quality, safety, and clinical
integration as well as administrative leaders. For example, the NICU and PICU
work closely with a dedicated surgical liaison bolstering those units’ direct
access to surgical experts.
CHKD also
maintains a robust Surgical Performance Improvement Committee that works
continuously to ensure high-quality and safe surgical care. Each committee
representative is committed to constantly assessing their performance and providing
optimal surgical care.
CHKD and
community surgeons perform almost 13,000 procedures -- ranging from minor
outpatient operations to complex reconstructive surgeries -- in CHKD's unique,
child-friendly facilities every year.
____________________________________
The American College of
Surgeons is a scientific and educational
association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of
surgical education and practice and to improve the quality of care for surgical
patients. Its achievements have placed it at the forefront of American surgery
and have made the College an important advocate for all surgical patients. The
College has more than 80,000 members and is the largest organization of
surgeons in the world.
CHKD is the only freestanding children’s
hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children
throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and
northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates
primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health
centers, urgent care centers, and satellite offices throughout its service
region. In 2022, CHKD opened the 60-bed, 14-story Children’s Pavilion on its campus to address the mental health
crisis facing our youth. Learn more at CHKD.org.
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Thursday, December 8, 2022
Contact: Elizabeth Earley: Elizabeth.Earley@CHKD.org or (757) 668-9049
CHKD Announces Opening of Panda Cares® Center of Hope Dedicated Space for Patients and Families
NORFOLK, Va.
– Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters is proud to announce the opening
of the Panda Cares® Center of Hope, made possible
by Panda Express® guests and associates, whose generosity helps change kids’
health, and change the future.
Panda
Express® provided a generous $1.5 million commitment for healing activities and
a 12th floor family lounge in the 14-story Children’s Pavilion, a
$224 million project designed to provide mental health services for children.
The Panda
Cares® Center of Hope inspires hope and promotes healing by providing specially
curated programs that address each child’s entire well-being. The donation
supports therapeutic play, art therapy, meditation, counseling services, and a family
lounge in the pavilion, which opened to inpatient psychiatric care in October.
The donation aligns with Panda’s “Four Pillars” philosophy to address each
child’s well-being, including their mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual
needs, and by giving children the courage and strength to thrive.
“Panda
Cares® has been a generous supporter of CHKD, and this gift will add to their
legacy in supporting some of the most vulnerable members of our community,”
said CHKD President and CEO Jim Dahling. “The space and activities this
donation supports in Children’s Pavilion will provide healing and comfort to
our patients and their families.”
The mental health facility at 401 Gresham Drive brings together
aspects of the best pediatric psychiatric facilities in the country, including
private inpatient rooms, a rooftop recreation area where hospitalized children
can get exercise and fresh air, and therapeutic rooms for art and music therapy.
“We are proud
to partner with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to bring the vision of the
Panda Cares® Center of Hope to life and are humbled to be able to be part of
the healing journey for the families and kids at these hospitals,” said Dr.
Peggy Cherng, co-founder and co-CEO of Panda Restaurant Group. “Children are
our future, and we hope that through this partnership and curriculum designed
to give children the strength to thrive, we will bring smiles and hope to
communities nationwide.”
The numerous
Panda Cares® Centers of Hope across the country are made possible by donations
from Panda Express® guests and associates. Funds raised in-store and online at
Panda Express go towards each store’s local community. Following a
multimillion-dollar commitment to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to fund
Panda Cares® Centers of Hope, Panda and CMN Hospitals have debuted Center of
Hope locations at several hospitals in the U.S. from California and Texas to
Hawaii and Washington D.C.
Since 2007,
Panda Express and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals have partnered together
to change kids’ health and change the future. To date, Panda has raised more
than $128 million for numerous CMN Hospitals, including CHKD. Panda Express
guests and their associates in Hampton Roads have raised more than $500,000 for
CHKD since 2007.
----------------
About CHKD
CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and
serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads,
the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The
not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical
practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers, and satellite
offices throughout its service region. In 2019, CHKD broke ground on a 60-bed, 14-story hospital and outpatient center on its
campus to address the mental health crisis facing our youth. The new tower on CHKD’s
campus in Norfolk opened to outpatient services in April 2022, and the first
inpatient psychiatric beds opened in October 2022. Learn more at CHKD.org.
About Panda
Express®
On a mission
to inspire better lives, Panda Express, an American Chinese Trailblazer, is the
largest Asian dining concept in the U.S. Family-owned and operated since 1983
by co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Express is best known
for creating a wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best
seller the Original Orange Chicken® and award-winning Honey Walnut Shrimp,
which have defined the category of authentic American Chinese cuisine. Each
dish at Panda Express, including the Wok Smart® selections, is thoughtfully
crafted with quality ingredients and inspired by bold Chinese flavors and culinary
principles. The restaurant brand has more than 2,400 locations throughout the
U.S. and has introduced American Chinese cuisine to more than ten international
countries. Powered by this global family of associates, Panda Cares, the
organization’s philanthropic arm, has raised more than $216 million and countless
volunteer hours in bettering the health and education for over
12 million youths as well as supporting communities in need since 1999. For
more information, visit pandaexpress.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter or
Instagram.
About
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
Children’s
Miracle Network Hospitals® raises funds for 170 children’s hospitals that
support the health of 10 million kids each year across the U.S. and Canada.
Donations go to local hospitals to fund critical life-saving treatments and
healthcare services, along with innovative research, vital pediatric medical
equipment, child life services that put kids’ and families’ minds at ease
during difficult hospital stays and financial assistance for families who could
not otherwise afford these health services. When we improve the health of all
children and allow them the opportunity to reach their full potential, we also
improve our communities for years to come. Together, we can change kids’
health. Together, we can change the future. To learn about Children’s Miracle
Network Hospitals and your local children’s hospital, visit cmnhospitals.org.
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Friday, December 2, 2022
Contact: Elizabeth Earley: Elizabeth.Earley@CHKD.org or (757) 668-9049
CHKD Health System President and CEO James Dahling Announces Retirement
Health System Board of Directors Appoints Senior Vice President, Chief Engagement and Innovation Officer Amy Sampson Next President and CEO
Dr. Christopher Foley, Vice President, Chief of Medicine, Promoted to Chief Clinical Operations Officer
HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – Akhil Jain, Chair of
CHKD Health System’s Board of Directors, announced today that
Jim Dahling, the organization’s President and CEO, will retire in 2023 after almost 30 years of service to the pediatric health system. The Board selected
Amy Sampson, CHKD’s Senior Vice President, Chief Engagement and Innovation Officer, to succeed him. As part of a new structure moving forward,
Dr. Christopher Foley, Vice President, Chief of Medicine, will assume the role of Chief Clinical Operations Officer, a newly created position that will replace the Chief Operating Officer. Dahling, Sampson, and Foley will collaborate over the next several months to ensure a smooth transition.
“The Board extends immense gratitude to Jim for his visionary leadership,” says Jain. “His tenure marked an era of critical expansion for the Health System, improving access to pediatric services and aligning CHKD with major shifts in the delivery of healthcare.”
Dahling came to Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters (CHKD) in 1994 as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He assumed leadership of the Health System in 2003 and oversaw expansion of outpatient services to multi-service
health and surgery centers throughout the region. He bolstered the Health System’s
primary care group, its
surgical group, and its
oncology, surgery,
cardiac,
neonatology, and
trauma programs, as well as quality and safety initiatives, securing CHKD’s reputation as an internationally ranked pediatric hospital.
“It has been a privilege to lead this organization,” says Dahling. “CHKD is a remarkable family of extraordinary clinicians, surrounded by exceptional team members and bolstered by our
King’s Daughters and volunteers, all of whom are steadfast in their dedication to doing what is best and right for children. I am in awe of their compassion, their commitment to excellence, and their resilience, and I am confident they will continue to grow and flourish with Amy’s insightful and inspirational leadership, and Chris’ knowledge and experience of clinical operations.”
Sampson joined CHKD in 1990 and is a trusted member of CHKD’s senior leadership team. “Amy is a proven, innovative leader who brings a deep understanding and respect for
CHKD’s history, mission, and role in the community. She will help us continue to navigate through the challenges facing our team, healthcare overall, and most especially our children. I am confident she will steer us to stay true to our mission of health, healing, and hope for all children,” says Jain. “She was the Board’s unanimous choice to succeed Jim Dahling as CEO and President.”
Sampson has been instrumental in the development of
CHKD’s transformational mental health initiative to address the region’s dire need to tackle the mental health crisis facing our youth. She spearheaded the efforts to secure government approval and financial backing for CHKD’s new pediatric inpatient psychiatric facility, Children’s Pavilion, which opened to patients in October, and she has helped guide every aspect of CHKD’s mental health program development. She has also overseen strategic planning, government relations, marketing and communications, philanthropy services, community outreach, experience services, the donor milk bank, the call center, and volunteer services during her career at CHKD.
Dr. Foley came to CHKD in 1996 as a pediatric intensive care specialist. He has also served as chief of the division of pediatric critical care and as medical director of CHKD’s pediatric intensive care unit, pharmacy, and critical care transport. He became Chief Medical Officer in 2015.
“I am deeply honored to continue to serve CHKD and the children and families of our region in this new role,” says Sampson. “I believe with all my heart in our people, our mission, our community, and above all, in identifying and addressing the healthcare needs of our children as they evolve in the coming years. I am grateful to have Chris’ experienced clinical leadership on our senior team, and look forward to working with him and others to deliver on our promises and to honor the trust that parents place in us when their precious children are in our care.”
CHKD Health System President and CEO James Dahling; Incoming President and CEO Amy Sampson; Incoming Chief Clinical Operations Officer Christopher Foley
CHKD Health System President and CEO James Dahling came to Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in 1994.
Children's Pavilion opened to inpatient psychiatric care in October of 2022.
----------------
CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers, and satellite offices throughout its service region. In 2019, CHKD broke ground on Children's Pavilion, a 60-bed, 14-story hospital and outpatient center on its campus to address the mental health crisis facing our youth. Children's Pavilion opened to outpatient services in April 2022, and the first inpatient psychiatric beds opened in October 2022.
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