Since 1927, Shriners Children’s Greenville has pursued its mission of life-changing care for young patients
Shriners Children’s Greenville, one of 13 hospitals in an international healthcare system that also includes clinics and surgery centers, began its mission of life-changing care nearly a century ago. The hospital was established in 1927 with funds from Greenville Shriners and local philanthropists to address the polio epidemic. The hospital remained in its original location on Pleasantburg Drive for 62 years before moving to its larger, modern facility near Greenville Memorial Hospital. There, the 50-bed facility continues to offer comprehensive care, including radiology, prosthetics, orthotics, and rehabilitation, all under one roof.
“Our surgeons can treat different diagnoses that a lot of people wouldn’t touch,” says Bill Munley, Southeast market administrator. “You have to have a special drive to be a pediatric orthopedist.”
Children may begin care before age 18 to receive specialized treatment for 85 different orthopedic and neuromuscular conditions, including limb deficiencies, cerebral palsy, hip dysplasia, and arthrogryposis. Specialty care also includes rehab, orthotics, and orthopedics.
Six pediatric orthopedic surgeons are on hand at Shriners Children’s Greenville, making it the largest team of such practitioners in the Carolinas. Although their official catchment area is six states (both Carolinas, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia), last year the team treated patients from 43 states and 46 foreign countries and territories, Munley says.
“The part that I love about our mission is that we treat everybody who’s appropriate age-wise and diagnosis-wise, regardless of ability to pay,” he says. “I’ve been in healthcare management for 45 years, and I’ve never seen a mission like Shriners.”
Shriners Children’s Greenville Mission
That mission is threefold, he says, with providing the highest quality care to patients being primary. Educating physicians and other healthcare workers is also key, as many of the pediatric orthopedists practicing today have done rotations or residencies at a Shriners facility.
Shriners places special emphasis on research, the third prong of its mission, says Munley.
“We take it very seriously, so we can rely now on the latest technologies and research to transform the lives of thousands of children every year,” he says.
In 1994, the motion analysis center opened, utilizing state-of-the-art technology to evaluate and analyze patients with affected gaits. Continuing the tradition of innovation, in 2013 the hospital introduced its EOS imaging system, a low-radiation alternative to X-rays–the only one in the state. The hospital is also a leading provider of spinal fusion procedures for children with scoliosis.
“Twenty or 30 years ago, those kids would have been in here for a few months at a time,” Munley says. “Now, with the latest technology and the expertise of our surgeons, most of these children are out of the hospital in about three days, and in about three months they’re doing cartwheels. It’s amazing.”
Transforming healthcare means never being satisfied with the status quo, says Munley. Shriners continually seeks to widen access to healthcare and improve upon its delivery of services for the best patient outcomes. The mission extends to affordability and meeting the needs of underserved and uninsured populations.
Awards from the South Carolina Hospital Association, impressive patient satisfaction ratings, and several years’ worth of Best Hospital in the Upstate honors all speak to the skill and dedication of the entire staff, says Munley.
“I think it is a calling,” he says. “We’ve developed relationships with kids over their entire lives. Our mission is just to see more kids. The more the better.”
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Innovative Approaches
Shriners Children’s Greenville seeks to transform lives through innovative pediatric specialty care.
- Pediatric Orthotics and Prosthetics Services (POPS) is located within the hospital, where certified specialists design state-of-the-art orthopedic devices customized for each child.
- The Motion Analysis Center uses advanced technology to develop customized treatment plans to meet individual needs.
- Working with Greenwood Genetics Center, the hospital presents monthly comprehensive genetics clinics for children with genetics conditions and the families that care for them
