one of a kind care - Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics

When a child is
hospitalized, it can
be overwhelming
for the entire family.
That is why the Social Work team
at Children’s Mercy is available
to help families help themselves
through difficult circumstances.
The more than 60 social workers
at Children’s Mercy provide a
variety of services to the families
of patients, including assistance
with food, clothing, lodging,
and transportation; referrals
to community resources and
support groups; helping the
family figure out how to care
for the child once he has been
discharged; financial counseling;
and assessing cases of child
abuse and neglect. A staff of
10 specially-trained medical
interpreters is also part of the
Social Work team, and is an
invaluable resource for our non-
English-speaking families.
At no point were our social
workers more important than
when Children’s Mercy received
24 patients from New Orleans
Children’s Hospital, who were
change of clothes. The purchases
were paid for by donations to the
hospital’s Family Support Fund.
When five of the families chose
to relocate to Kansas City
permanently, our social
workers connected
them with resources in
the community who
provided housing,
transportation
and for some,
employment. One
mother, whose
child’s
immune
system was
severely
compromised,
needed
assistance with
furnishing her new
apartment. Because
of the baby’s high
risk for infection,
she couldn’t use
donated furniture. Our
social workers arranged
to purchase new furniture for
the family, including a crib for the
child.
social work
evacuated following Hurricane
Katrina. The families were far
from home and arrived with
only the clothes on their backs.
Children’s Mercy social workers
arranged to transport the families
to Wal-Mart to purchase the items
they needed, such as a fresh
Everyone needs a little help
sometimes…and when they do,
our patients and families can be
comforted to know that our social
workers are here to provide that
help.
Brad Warady, MD, with a
patient from New Orleans
Children’s Hopsital.
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