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From our humble beginnings in a few cottages on Central Avenue as a TB sanatorium to the state's only private, not-for-profit healthcare system, we have been delivering non-stop care, expertise, comfort and compassion around the clock for over 100 years. It is our generous donors, who make so much of what we do at the Foundation, possible. And it is our donors who we want to thank. Through your philanthropy we have done so much good and look forward to our next one hundred years of making a positive difference in our community with you at our side. 

 Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Program 

Imagine a child wearing a beaded necklace like it was a merit badge, except that each bead stands for a completed hospital procedure. That's what happens, often daily, on the sixth floor of Presbyterian Hospital in the Pediatric Infusion Center as part of the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Department. It is part of a program called Beads of Courage which was designed to help children suffering from cancer and other related illnesses re-direct their anxiety from planned procedures to the fun of collecting beads. Beads of Courage is a way for the children to celebrate milestones of their treatment journey, collecting different beads for their necklace along the way.

The Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Program was started in July 2011 by Dr. Jeffery Hanrahan, a nurse practitioner, and a small group of specialty trained nurses. The program has grown so dramatically that another physician, Sam Esparza, will join the department this spring. Over 20 patients are seen regularly for treatments; some have to stay for several days at a time.

To date, the Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation has allocated funds for nursing education and assisted financially strapped families with gas, food and lodging. The Foundation also sponsors the Beads of Courage program. There is an ongoing need for funds to help provide services like a support group for the children and their families, to make hospital rooms feel more like home, to provide children with blankets and caps, and for music and massage therapy.

Ronald McDonald Family Room® at Presbyterian Good For Kids and Families, Too

In 2012, Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation's gala fundraiser Laughter is the Best Medicine solicited funds to pay for the design, construction, and furnishing of a Ronald McDonald Family Room® at Presbyterian. The need was self-evident.

The Children's Center at Presbyterian has a team of more than 300 pediatric care providers who do everything from well child checks to pediatric specialty care to performing pediatric heart surgery. However, just as important to their healing is the love, support and presence of their families. Research shows that a family presence in the hospital helps children heal faster and cope better. Staying close by allows parents to better communicate with their child's medical team and improves the adherence to complicated treatment plan. When space on the sixth floor of Presbyterian Hospital became available, the Foundation responded.

The Ronald McDonald Family Room® is located just a few steps from the pediatric patients' rooms. This special space will provide sleeping quarters, laundry facilities, a kitchen and other amenities that will privde a place of solace during a very difficult time. All the while just a few steps from their child's hospital room.

Thanks to the partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities of New Mexico®, families will have a place to retreat to; a place to rest and regenerate so they can return to their child's side better able to handle a demanding situation.

The space will be completed in April 2013 but the work is not done yet. We still need your help and support to continue to fund the daily necessities - laundry detergent, pantry supplies and continued maintenace.