In the News
Reducing Youth Suicides
The Suicide Prevention Program at Cincinnati Children's offers an educational program to suicidal children and teens in the Greater Cincinnati area. The comprehensive program aims to reduce the incidence of youth suicide and suicidal behavior.
Offered at area schools and in community settings, the program covers topics including coping and conditions that cause stress associated with suicide. Students take part in lectures, interactive activities and role-playing. They also receive a "crisis card" that describes how to find referral sources. The program is being expanded to include parent and teacher education.
For more information, contact program administrator Cathy Strunk, RN, (cathy.strunk@cchmc.org),513-602-7329.
"Changing the Outcome" for Kids Around the World
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center launched its first television advertising campaign in April. Two television spots are airing in the Cincinnati area and will run through the end of the year. Eventually, the spots may run regionally and nationally.
Orbit Man, one of the two 30-second TV spots, features a boy gathering toys for an imaginative game of space explorer. The words "brain tumor" appear on the screen. In the final scene the boy is shown in his backyard dressed like an astronaut. The letters from "brain tumor" transform into "orbit man."
The second spot, Soccer Star, features a young girl playing kick-the-can with soccer-like moves. The words "tracheal reconstruction" join her on the screen. The last scene shows the letters morphing to "soccer star in action."
Both spots close with the theme line "change the outcome" on screen as the voiceover says, "Changing the outcome for kids from around the world." If Cincinnati Children's has changed the outcome for you or your kids, we'd love to hear about it. Contact us at youngandhealthy@cchmc.org.
Parents Help Design User-Friendly Billing Statements
Cincinnati Children's recently overhauled its billing statements to make them easier to understand. The goal was to make patients' hospital bills more clear, concise and user-friendly.
Employees worked directly with patient families to find out what they wanted. Families requested more detailed statements and an easier-to-read format.
With the new statements now being sent out, parents can anticipate making fewer calls to customer service. The changes also are expected to produce savings in postage for billing communications.
The next phase of this project that patient families are helping with is the launch of an online web-based billing option. This will allow families to view their billing information 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
