The Children’s Hospital at Providence becomes one of 213 institutions belonging to the nonprofit association, a collective voice for health systems devoted to the well-being of America's 70 million children and their families.

"Participation in NACHRI offers us a vast communications network with people who understand children: their needs and their treatment. We will compare our clinical outcomes with other NACHRI hospitals and share these with the Pediatricians and our staff" said Irene Chavez, COO of Providence Memorial Hospital. "We look forward to bringing our leadership and special insights to the association and joining in the imperative for stronger advocacy on behalf of all children."

The Children’s Hospital at Providence is a 106-bed hospital that offers some of the latest pediatric technologies and seeks to maximize opportunities for positive outcomes through innovative treatment approaches developed specifically for children. It was admitted as a supporter to NACHRI because its aims and activities fulfill a commitment to the advocacy of children and children's health.

NACHRI is a not-for-profit membership association of children's hospitals, large pediatric units of medical centers and related organizations, including those that specialize in rehabilitative and long-term care of children with serious chronic or congenital illnesses.

"We welcome The Children’s Hospital at Providence to the family of care givers devoted to
improving the health of children, and we look forward to its active involvement," said
NACHRI President and CEO Lawrence A. McAndrews. "Because of their focus on children, institutions like The Children’s Hospital at Providence are able to identify emerging trends and problems associated with the health of children."

Children's hospitals represent approximately three percent of all hospitals nationwide, but in 2001, they gave more than 6 million days of inpatient care to more than 1 million children at an annual cost of $11 billion. The average children’s hospital sees more than a quarter million children per year on an outpatient basis.

ABOUT SIERRA PROVIDENCE HEALTH NETWORK

Sierra Providence Health Network, part of Tenet Texas, consists of three hospitals located in El Paso: 351-bed Sierra Medical Center, located at 1625 Medical Center Drive; 508-bed Providence Memorial Hospital, which also houses the 106-bed Children’s Hospital at Providence, located at 2001 N. Oregon; and a 78-bed physical rehabilitation hospital, Sierra Providence Physical Rehabilitation Hospital, located at 1740 Curie. The network is in the process of building a fourth hospital, Sierra Providence Eastside Hospital, a 100-bed acute care facility scheduled to open in 2008.

Sierra Medical Center, Providence Memorial Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Providence are acute care hospitals that offer a broad spectrum of medical and surgical services for adults and children, including cardiac care and rehabilitation, cancer care and support services, women’s services and emergency care. Other network clinical specialties include a dedicated children’s emergency room, kidney transplant, gamma knife radiosurgery, a hospice, a bariatrics center and health care services for chronically ill children. Sierra Providence Physical Rehabilitation Hospital provides a broad spectrum of rehabilitation services and is equipped to handle brain injuries and other serious disorders and is accredited by both the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Sierra Medical Center and Providence Memorial Hospital are accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS AND RELATED INSTITUTIONS (NACHRI)

Founded in 1968, NACHRI maintains extensive data on children's health in general and descriptive data on 213 members and the conditions they treat. Some of the issues NACHRI addresses include uninsured children, children dependent on Medicaid, injury prevention, child abuse and neglect, quality of care, patient safety and seriously ill children.

NACHRI is a pioneer in advancing the concept of integrated child health care networks. When fully developed, these networks will make sure that children get the most appropriate and economical health care from experts who are trained at centers of excellence and accountable to the public for children's health and health care.