How did they start?

Shriners of North America, at the 1919 Imperial Council Session, voted to establish a "Shriners Hospital for Children," to treat orthopaedic conditions and injuries in children. It was to be supported by a yearly $2 assessment from each Shriner. In 1921, the proposal was passed. Today, there are 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children supported by donations from the Shriners fraternity and the public.

Shriners Hospitals for Children is a one-of-a-kind health care system dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research and outstanding research programs. 

Nineteen Shriners Hospitals provide care for congenital and acquired orthopaedic conditions, four hospitals provide acute and rehabilitative care for burn injuries, three hospitals provide rehabilitative care for spinal cord injuries, and the cleft lip and palate program is expanding to multiple Shriners Hospitals. Some Shriners Hospitals offer care for more than one specialty. 

All 22 Shriners Hospitals are dedicated to providing expert, specialized care to children under 18 years of age at no charge. Shriners Hospitals for Children is actively involved in orthopaedic and burn research and is a pioneer in some of the most advanced techniques for the treatment of these conditions.

Responding to the needs of children

In the mid-1960s, Shriners of North America opened three hospitals specializing in acute burn care. In 1997, a fourth hospital specializing in acute burn care was opened Sacramento, Calif. Each of these hospitals has a three-fold mission of helping children, conducting burn care research and training medical personnel in the treatment of burn injuries. They are actively involved in the development of innovative techniques that will continue to revolutionize the treatment of severely burned children.

In the early 1980s, the Shriners fraternity discovered yet another way it could help children: by opening the nation's first pediatric spinal cord injury rehabilitation center. Today, Shriners Hospitals for Children has pediatric spinal cord injury rehabilitation centers in the Philadelphia, Chicago and Sacramento hospitals. Young people with spinal cord injuries find not only the specialized medical care needed for rehabilitation, but also hope, inspiration and strength.

Investing in Research

Eligibility for Shriners Hospitals is simple. Children up to age 18 are eligible for care at Shriners Hospitals for Children if, in the opinion of our physicians, there is a reasonable possibility they can benefit from the specialized services available. Acceptance is based solely on a child�s medical needs. A family's income or insurance status is not criteria for acceptance as a patient.