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Copyright 2009 Greenwich Village Orchestra. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2009 Greenwich Village Orchestra. All rights reserved.
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| Quick Facts about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital |
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opened in 1962 and was founded by the late
entertainer Danny Thomas. Its mission is to find cures for children with cancer and other
catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. St. Jude has treated children
from all 50 states and from around the world.
- St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for
treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the
family’s inability to pay.
- In 1962, the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form
of childhood cancer, was 4 percent. Today, the survival rate for this once deadly disease
is 94 percent, thanks to research and treatment protocols developed at St. Jude.
- The daily operating cost for St. Jude is $1.5 million, which is primarily covered by public
contributions.
- During the past five years, 81 cents of every dollar received has supported the research
and treatment at St. Jude.
- St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a
Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute.
- In 2009, Parents magazine named St. Jude the No. 1 pediatric cancer care hospital in the
country, based on the magazine’s survey of more than 75 children’s hospitals nationwide.
- St. Jude has developed protocols that have helped push overall survival rates for
childhood cancers from less than 20 percent when the hospital opened in 1962 to 80
percent today. The current St. Jude survival rates for selected childhood cancers now
include:
- St. Jude pioneered a combination of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery to treat
childhood cancers.
- St. Jude researchers and doctors are treating children with genetic immune defects and
pediatric AIDS, as well as using new drugs and therapies to fight infections.
- The hospital’s International Outreach Program transfers the progress achieved in the
treatment of childhood cancer in developed countries to those with limited resources. As
of July 2009, St. Jude has 20 partner sites in 15 countries, and more than 18,000
registered users from 169 countries have accessed Cure4Kids.org, an Internet-based
distance learning initiative. In addition, St. Jude trains thousands of medical
professionals around the world through consultations, faculty visits to St. Jude and
Cure4Kids.
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