Hugs Among Patients, Staff As Shriners Hospitals for Children Galveston Reopens

There were lots of hugs among returning patients and hospital staff at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Galveston when it reopened Nov. 4, 2009, after being closed for more than a year after sustaining damage during Hurricane Ike.

More than a dozen patients, most of them from Mexico, shared smiles and hugs with doctors, nurses and other staff that they had not seen in months.

Patients at the Galveston hospital have received uninterrupted medical care at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Houston during the last year.

Maria Guadalupe Hernandez, 13, got a warm welcome from nurse Joanna Huddleston as they met in the outpatient clinic lobby. Maria shared her story with local media about how she was burned in a 2005 car crash in Mexico and how her family desperately looked for a medical treatment for her.

“My family said they didn’t think I would have survived if not for Shriners,” the shy teen said quietly as her grandmother nodded next to her.

Many of the staff members, some of whom worked temporarily at the Houston hospital caring for burn patients for the past several months, were happy to be "home.”

The staff of both the Houston and Galveston Shriners Hospitals for Children will continue working closely together to assure a smooth transition for all patients.

Services at the hospital will resume in phases, begining with current patients need reconstructive surgery. Galveston hospital patients needing to schedule appointments should call (409) 770-6724 or (409) 770-6969.

New patients interested in filling out an application for treatment should call (409) 770-6998 or (888) 215-3109 (U.S. only). New patients from Mexico should call 001-888-215-3109.