Pikeville Medical, charity team up to spread Christmas cheer to children
Children's hospital just opened earlier this month
PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WTVQ) – On December 22, Pikeville Medical Center (PMC) staff delivered Christmas gifts to young patients at the Mettu Children’s Hospital (MCH), thanks to a generous donation from the Toys for Hospitalized Children charity.
The toys were delivered to each pediatric patient just in time for Christmas by the Mettu Children’s Hospital mascot, Buddy Bear, which brought even more smiles to the faces of the patients and their families.
“We are so thankful for the shipment of toys we received from Toys for Hospitalized Children,” said PMC Pediatrician Frederick Stine, DO, who facilitated the partnership between PMC and the charity. “Being in the hospital is tough for our pediatric patients and their families, particularly around the holidays. We hope these gifts will help lift their spirits in a time of difficulty.”
The mission of Toys for Hospitalized Children is to bring happiness and healing to children suffering from illness. The goal of this and other campaigns is to help transform a scary time into one of hope. Toys for Hospitalized Children gives gifts to change a child’s outlook and boost morale, as they realize others care for them and hope for their speedy recovery.
“Seeing our patients smile when Buddy Bear comes into the room with their toy is priceless.,” said Dr. Brandon Nelson, MD, PMC Pediatric Hospitalist. “You could definitely feel the spirit of Christmas at Mettu Children’s Hospital.”
Toys for Hospitalized Children was founded in 1953 as a non-denominational charity to bring happiness and healing to all sick children no matter their race, religion, ethnicity, background, or social standing. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, Toys for Hospitalized Children sends toys, accompanied by hope and encouragement, to children in more than 70 hospitals, 41 Special-needs facilities and 32 ambulances. Toys for Hospitalized children believes “positivity can trigger self-healing superpowers” and that “happy kids heal faster.”
Pikeville Medical Center is a 348-bed regional referral center and Kentucky’s only Level II trauma center. PMC employs nearly 3,000 people and has almost 400 credentialed healthcare providers.
Opening December 6, 2021, the new children’s hospital provides much-needed pediatric healthcare for the region, allowing more families to stay close to home, thus greatly reducing the financial burden of traveling to hospitals hundreds of miles away. The Mettu Children’s Hospital houses inpatient and outpatient pediatric service areas.
Inpatient services is an area consisting of a family-friendly waiting room, ten private patient rooms (two of which are isolation rooms), a consultation room, a treatment room, a medication room, a nourishment room and more.
The pediatric outpatient clinic consists of separate sick and well-waiting rooms, check-in and registration area, 13 exam rooms and more.
PMC received two grants totaling nearly $6.3 million from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet’s Division of Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) to construct and equip eastern Kentucky’s only children’s hospital and pediatric specialty clinic. In addition to grant funding, financial contributions from devoted private donors played a key role in completing the hospital. A very generous gift was given from long-time local physicians, Drs. R.V. and Jyothi Mettu to the children’s hospital bearing the name “The Dr. R.V. and Jyothi Mettu Children’s Hospital.” The Mettus’ donation came after what they both explained was a deep longing to contribute that would affect current and future generations of children in Eastern Kentucky.
