Thunderbirds Name Pediatric Wing at New Burn Center
Thunderbirds Charities gave a $500,000 contribution toward the Thunderbirds Charities Pediatric Burn Unit located inside the Diane and Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health, opening in early 2024. It is the Thunderbirds’ single-largest gift for this funding cycle and this fiscal year.
The new 75,000-square-foot Halle Arizona Burn Center was designed from both the patient’s and clinician’s perspective, bringing the functions and features of burn-care excellence into one location. The design philosophy and physical layout will foster a sense of safety, openness, collaboration and peer support in recovery and responsiveness — which are key in addressing the trauma associated with burns — as well as a patient’s long-term recovery.
“Recovery from a burn injury, both physically and mentally, is a lifelong journey, and pediatric patients will be our patients for life,” said Dr. Kevin Foster, director of the Arizona Burn Center – Valleywise Health. “The new Thunderbirds Charities Pediatric Burn Unit was designed to be a safe space for children to heal, work through the trauma associated with their injuries, and get back to being a kid. This truly meaningful gift will help children and families for generations to come.”
The Thunderbirds Charities Pediatric Burn Unit will be a secured wing with private patient rooms, as well as both a pediatric playroom and dedicated teen room designed to give young patients a safe space to regain a sense of normalcy during their hospitalization. All areas will be staffed by Child Life specialists, specially trained to address the needs of pediatric patients and their families in the hospital. A unique feature of the new Halle Arizona Burn Center will be a state-of-the-art Wellness Center for rehabilitation therapy to support long-term physical and emotional survivorship care.
“We think what Valleywise Health does throughout the Valley is great for our community and are excited to help complete the state-of-the-art facilities for the world-renowned Halle Arizona Burn Center,” said Pat Williams, president of Thunderbirds Charities. “Seeing the new facilities and technology and meeting families who will directly benefit from this care was humbling. Talking with 5-year-old Westyn, an aspiring cowboy in kindergarten, and 12-year-old Leah, who just earned a spot on her middle-school cheer team, helped reinforce our excitement for this unique project. Despite the difficult situations they’ve been through and treatments they still face, these resilient kids, and the people who care for them, are inspiring.”
Treating some of the most complex and traumatic burn and wound cases, the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health is one of the nation’s largest and busiest academic burn centers with 6,000 outpatient visits and more than 1,000 inpatient admissions each year.
“We are so honored to be among the 46 Valley nonprofits selected by Thunderbirds Charities this year, and especially thrilled with this very meaningful gift at a milestone time in Valleywise Health’s history,” said Valleywise Health Foundation chief advancement officer Kate Fassett. “Tragically, children and teens throughout the Southwest region are burned every day. Having facilities and equipment designed especially for their needs is a gift of immeasurable worth.”
For more behind this Frontdoor, go to valleywisehealth.org.
