Shriners Hospitals working with Guatemalan and US officials to arrange transport to pediatric burn hospitals following volcano eruption.

GALVESTON, TX (June 5, 2018) — Shriners Hospitals for Children® is expected to admit several children in critical condition with burn injuries suffered in Sunday’s volcanic eruption in Guatemala. The children will be transported to the Galveston Shriners Hospital pediatric burn center.

Within 24 hours of the disaster, Shriners Hospitals deployed an emergency medical team from the Galveston Shriners Hospital to Guatemala to provide onsite evaluation and care. The team worked with Guatemalan and U.S. officials to secure approval to transfer those who required further treatment at Shriners Hospitals in the United States. A second team from the Boston Shriners Hospital is on stand-by to travel to Guatemala and provide additional support. Shriners Hospitals for Children stands ready to help other Guatemalan children if needed.

Shriners Hospitals has established medical go teams from our hospitals to be available any time there is a disaster or need for emergency care for children anywhere in the world.

“Shriners Hospitals is uniquely prepared to respond to a tragedy of this proportion, having specialized pediatric burn hospitals across the country,” said John McCabe, executive vice president of Shriners Hospitals for Children. “We have a deep history of mobilizing to respond to tragedies across the globe and have committed to help these children. We view ourselves as a global force for children and each and every day we bring love to the rescue to children around the world.”

The children are expected to be transported by the United States military today or late tonight, Tuesday June 5.

Critically burned patients are typically placed in pediatric intensive care units due to the severity of their injuries. Multidisciplinary teams will provide all aspects of burn care, which could include surgery, treatment, rehabilitation and psychological support.

Due to patient confidentiality, we cannot share any more information regarding the children or their medical conditions. We will update the public when more information can be made available. Shriners Hospitals will continue to work closely with Guatemalan and U.S. officials to coordinate their care in the United States.

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Since entering the field in the 1960s, Shriners Hospitals for Children has contributed to most of the significant advancements in acute and reconstructive pediatric burn care. Shriners Hospitals is often sought out for complex domestic and international cases.

Since 1922, Shriners Hospitals for Children has provided pediatric specialty care to children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate. Shriners Hospitals has treated more than 1.3 million children from more than 180 countries over the last 95 years.

For more information on the care provided by the Galveston Shriners Hospital, go to shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/Galveston.