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Patient Care at St. Jude

Outpatient Care at St. Jude

Most children at St. Jude are treated as outpatients. This means they do not spend the night at the hospital. They only have to be at the hospital for tests, check-ups, and treatments. This practice reflects the St. Jude approach to patient care. We strive to provide the best treatments and care to our patients. We want them to spend as much time as possible just being kids and teens, not confined to hospital rooms.

The terms “outpatient,” “clinic,” “ACU,” and “Ambulatory Care Unit” all refer to the clinic areas on the first floor of the Patient Care Center and in the Translational Trials Unit. Most of your child’s visits to St. Jude will be for outpatient care in one of these areas.

Read about St. Jude's Outpatient Clinics and Inpatient Units.

Read about a Routine Clinic Visit.

Meet your Treatment Team.

Read more topics about Outpatient Care at St. Jude.

Inpatient Care at St. Jude

If the doctor decides your child needs to stay in the hospital or needs surgery, your child will be admitted to one of the Patient Care Center’s Inpatient units. The second floor houses the Solid Tumor and Leukemia/Lymphoma units. The third floor houses the Intensive Care Unit and Surgical Services. The fourth floor houses the Bone Marrow Transplant unit. Each floor has isolation rooms for patients who have or might have an illness that could be spread to other patients.

Every St. Jude inpatient room has an attached parent room containing a window for viewing the patient room. The parent room allows you to rest while still keeping an eye on your child. The parent rooms are not designed for long-term stay. Please keep them free of clutter so they can be cleaned well.

Tour Patient Areas to get an idea of what to expect if your child is admitted as an inpatient.

Read more topics about Inpatient Care at St. Jude.

Eligibility Requirements

Note: If you are a referring physician, please see our Patient Acceptance Policy.

Patient Acceptance
Acceptance is based on the patient's eligibility for an ongoing treatment study, regardless of a patient’s race, sex, ethnicity, religion, nationality or ability to pay. Parents who wish to have their child treated at St. Jude should have the child's physician contact us at 1-866-2STJUDE (1-866-278-5833) or by e-mail.

Since the hospital is a research center, every child accepted is enrolled in a specific study or "protocol." Information gathered from these studies is used in developing better treatments. Protocol-based therapy has led to improved cure rates for potentially fatal pediatric diseases.

Requirements
St. Jude welcomes treating physician referrals of children and adolescents with newly diagnosed untreated or suspected cancer; HIV infections; or certain hematologic, immunologic, or genetic diseases. Patients are accepted based on the eligibility to enroll in an open St. Jude Children's Research Hospital clinical research protocol. In addition, previously treated patients who have received treatment elsewhere may be accepted on an individual case basis when there is a potential for protocol eligibility on ongoing studies, relapse studies, bone marrow transplantation protocols or Phase I-II studies. Patients with genetic disorders, hematologic or immunologic diseases or HIV infection may be accepted anytime in their disease history based on protocol eligibility or potential to contribute to research projects. If your child’s diagnosis is not listed on our disease list on this site, it may still prove beneficial to your child for your physician to call us to discuss your child’s individual diagnosis.

If your doctor would like to discuss a difficult diagnosis or medical management of your child’s diagnosis, we would be happy to speak to your physician about questions he/she may have. Or, your physician may choose to send us or fax us (901-495-4011) a detailed medical history, copies of relevant diagnostic imaging evaluations, and pathology/histological material in order that our multidisciplinary groups can discuss your child’s case and offer recommendations.

After your child’s initial therapy has been completed at St. Jude, patient care is typically managed in close collaboration with your child’s private physician. St. Jude experts in hematology, oncology, bone marrow transplantation, immunology, genetic diseases and infectious diseases are available at all times for consultation with your doctor regarding possible side effects of therapy, signs of recurring disease, or other questions related to patient management on mutual patients on St. Jude clinical trials.

Close contact with your child’s private physician is important to us and necessary for your child’s safety. Your child’s doctor can call us at any time to speak to your child’s St. Jude attending physician.

Financial Responsibility
All patients accepted for treatment at St. Jude are treated without regard to the family's ability to pay. St. Jude covers all costs of treatment at St. Jude beyond those reimbursed by third-party insurers, and total costs at St. Jude when no insurance is available. St. Jude also provides assistance with transportation costs and local living expenses during treatments (see Travel and Where to Stay in Related Topics).

Note: Final acceptance occurs when the patient is deemed eligible and is enrolled on a protocol.

St. Jude provides free lodging to patient families who live more than 35 miles from the hospital when the patient’s treatment requires an overnight stay. The hospital provides housing for the patient and one (1) parent. If you live less than 35 miles from St. Jude, you will return home between clinic visits.

If you live more than 35 miles from Memphis, your stay will be arranged at one (1) of these St. Jude-sponsored lodging facilities:

• Short-term lodging facility: Memphis Grizzlies House is located on campus near the hospital. It is reserved for St. Jude patients and families who need lodging for 1-7 days.
  
  
• Mid-term lodging facility: The Ronald McDonald House is for St. Jude patients and families who need lodging for 8-90 days.
  
  
• Long-term lodging facility: St. Jude patients who need lodging for 90 days or more will be assigned to Target House.

After your child’s first visit to St. Jude, you must call in advance to reserve housing space. As soon as you receive your child’s next appointment schedule, call Patient Services to reserve lodging. Housing placements are based on length of stay and medical needs. St. Jude will not pay for your long distance telephone service or entertainment while you stay in St. Jude-sponsored lodging. Please respect these accommodations (building and contents) as you would your own home.

St. Jude provides lodging for the patient and one (1) parent or guardian in each St. Jude-sponsored room or apartment. Through the generosity of our donors, each room and apartment is designed to house up to 4 people but no more than 4. If the rooms become too crowded, the risk of infection increases for your child and other patients staying in these facilities. In addition, the shuttle buses could become overloaded, and the hospital would have to pay more for supplies, upkeep, and utilities.

Because all families deserve equal treatment, St. Jude cannot grant exceptions to these lodging rules. The rules are the same for all St. Jude housing facilities. If you have more than 4 family members coming into town, please arrange for them to stay somewhere other than St. Jude housing.

Patient Services can give you a list of local hotels that offer below-market rates to St. Jude families who need more rooms.

If you have questions about St. Jude housing guidelines, call Patient Services at 495-4501 or talk with your social worker. If you are inside the hospital, dial 4501. Outside the Memphis area, call toll-free 1-866-2ST-JUDE (1-866-278-5833). After the call is connected, enter extension 4501 for Patient Services or 3670 for Social Work.

The Child Life Program strives to minimize the stress and anxiety that many kids have when they have to stay in the hospital. Your child's normal development can be affected when battling a serious illness. The work of the Child Life Specialists can assist with your child/teen with living as close to a normal life as possible. They do this by providing opportunities to gain a sense of mastery, play, learning, self-expression, family involvement and peer interaction.

Many of Child Life's goals are achieved through play and expressive activities, since they are the way children and teens express themselves and learn. Your child/teen may not be able to express himself verbally. However, his feelings and misconceptions about treatment may be observed through play and other activities. Medical play gives your child/teen the opportunity to rehearse his medical experiences and gain a sense of mastery over procedures.

Child Life uses play to promote your child's growth and development, because it is important for your child to continue achieving developmental milestones while receiving his treatment. If your child comes to the hospital already delayed in his development or becomes delayed due to treatment, Child Life Spcialists will work with your child to promote his optimum development. Child Life and other disciplines in the hospital may also help you with your parenting skills.

Education is another important role of the Child Life Program. The school program is composed of three components. Homebound teachers will work individually with your child if he is at the hospital for an extended period of time. Computer assisted instruction is also available to your child if he is at the hospital for shorter periods. Finally, Child Life staff may provide educational interventions that are not aspects of other components.

Child Life staff uses volunteers to support other services provided in the hospital, including respite care for inpatients, opportunities for recreation, and toys or games for stimulation.

A staff member, parent or patient can contact Child Life for any of the above services.

Saddle Up for St. Jude

Saddle Up for St. Jude is a fun, community trail-riding event

How does Saddle Up work?

• Dances
• Chili Dinners
• Hay Rides
• Livestock Competitions
• Riding Competitions

Why host a Saddle Up event?

• Provide a meaningful event to expose your community to horseback riding and your organization
• Generate press coverage for your group or organization
• Create partnerships between you and area businesses as you collect donations
• Play a vital part in the fight against childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases

What does St. Jude provide?

• An informational video about St. Jude that includes patient stories
• A Saddle Up for St. Jude poster to publize your event
• An event guide that offers ideas and suggestions to help make your event a success

If you are interested in becoming a Volunteer Coordinator or would like to participate in a Saddle Up event, please call 1-800-567-0675. St. Jude also provides a toll-free support line available to all coordinators Monday through Friday.

St. Jude Dream Home® Giveaway

You can win a house or other great prizes by participating in the St. Jude Dream Home® Giveaway benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the world’s premier pediatric cancer research center. Unite with communities across the country by reserving your $100 ticket to qualify to win a home valued between $200,000 and $420,000 in cities where the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway is being held. Tickets are reserved on a limited basis. Additional prizes including jewelry, shopping sprees, automobiles and groceries increase your odds of winning.

For more information about participating in a St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway in your area, contact dreamhome@stjude.org. You could win a house. You will make a difference.

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED

Federal and state laws restrict the online sale of St. Jude Dream Home tickets to only those state or local residents who specifically meet the requirements as set forth in the applicable statutes and regulations in the attached terms and conditions. St. Jude does not currently allow Dream Home raffle ticket purchases to be made online by any person outside the scope of the applicable statutes, regulations and the attached terms and conditions.

St. Jude does not allow any illegal participation in a Dream Home raffle.

Toll free telephone services and Internet services are provided as a convenience to St. Jude supporters and friends. Reservations do not constitute the sale of a ticket by telephone or by mail. Reservations will be verified and processed by a local St. Jude representative. Confirmation will be mailed in two to three weeks. Entry numbers will be listed on the confirmation.

Jordyn Waller
2 years old

Diagnosis:

Jordyn was found to suffer from neuroblastoma, stage IV, in August 2007. Neuroblastoma is a common solid tumor of childhood.

Jordyn's story:

At 2 years old, Jordyn is a happy toddler who loves painting, bubbles and teddy bears. But in early August, he wasn't feeling well. His symptoms mirrored the ones he had seven months earlier, when doctors said he had pneumonia. Concerned, his father Johnny took him to the local children's hospital for X-rays. Again, doctors said pneumonia. Later that day, though, Jordyn's pediatrician called. He had seen the X-rays and felt something was amiss. He wanted Jordyn to have a CT scan right away.

The CT scan revealed Jordyn suffered from neuroblastoma. "My first thought was how is it possible my 2-year-old has cancer?" Johnny recalled. Told they would have to wait the weekend before anything could happen, Johnny immediately got on the Internet and found information about neuroblastoma and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. While the local hospital wanted Jordyn to remain there for treatment, Johnny was adamant he get his son to St. Jude. Nine hours later, exhausted from the drive and uncertain about Jordyn's future, father and son arrived in Memphis.

At St. Jude

Upon their arrival, Johnny was amazed at how kind and caring everyone was. At St. Jude, Jordyn's tumor was removed and he was placed on a chemotherapy-based protocol that will last for two years. Johnny believes his son is receiving the best care possible at St. Jude. "His tumor was removed within a month of our arriving," he said. "Jordyn has a better chance to survive here, period. Better protocols. Better treatment."

It's not just the care Jordyn receives that Johnny appreciates; everything about St. Jude is designed to help make the family's life easier. "They have lots of activities for the kids," he said, "and everyone is so nice." And the fact that St. Jude provides housing, transportation and meals for patients and their families amazes him, because having these things taken care of means he can focus all of his attention on Jordyn. About the donors who help support St. Jude, Johnny said, "They do wonderful things for children here. I tell everyone I meet they need to support St. Jude."

May 2007

Current News

Investigators at St. Jude have discovered previously unsuspected mutations that contribute to the formation of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common cancer in children.

Just as homes have smoke detectors, cells have an enzyme that responds to a buildup of fatty acids by triggering the production of a key molecule in the biochemical pathway that breaks down these fatty acids, according to investigators at St. Jude.

The yearly influenza vaccine that health officials urge people to get each fall might also offer certain individuals some cross protection against the H5N1 virus, commonly known as bird flu, according to investigators at St. Jude.

The degeneration of brain cells that occurs in Parkinson's disease may be caused by either externally provoked cell death or internally initiated suicide when the molecule that normally prevents these fatal alternatives is missing, according to St. Jude.

The secret to the ability of a molecule critical for cell division to throw off the protein yoke that restrains its activity is the yoke itself--a disorderly molecule that seems to have a mind of its own, say investigators at St. Jude.

The complex task of launching a well-organized, effective immune system attack on specific targets is thrown into high gear when either of two specific enzymes chop a protein called LAG-3 off the immune cells leading that battle, according to St. Jude.

The freeze-frame image of a molecular relay race, in which one enzyme passes off a protein like a baton to another enzyme, has solved a key mystery to how cells control some vital functions, according to investigators at St. Jude.

Demonstration by St. Jude researchers that special niches made of capillaries protect and stimulate cancer stem cells in the brain explains the origin of these cancers and their reappearance following treatment.

Mice with neuroblastoma tumors have been successfully treated with genetically modified cells that sought out the cancer cells and activated a chemo drug directly at those sites.

The establishment of research ethics committees in El Salvador will enhance the ability of that country to undertake clinical trials aimed at improving cure rates of pediatric catastrophic diseases, according to investigators from St. Jude.

St. Jude researchers find that harvesting aggressive stem cells from donated bone marrow could speed rebuilding of the immune system, reduce risk of infection.

A troublesome side effect caused by some cancer drugs appears to be caused by a broken "pump" in the liver that fails to push these medicines into a "drain," according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

St. Jude has treated children from every state in the U.S. and from more than 70 other countries. The founder of St. Jude was a famous actor from the 1950s named Danny Thomas. His daughter, Marlo Thomas, is also a famous actress who starred in a hit show called That Girl. She is now a national spokesperson for St. Jude.

All kinds of famous people have supported St. Jude: Pro Golfer Tiger Woods; singers Tina Turner and Amy Grant; basketball great Michael Jordan; ice skater Scott Hamilton; and movie and television stars like Ray Romano, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jim Carrey, Robin Williams and Jennifer Aniston.

Kids who come to St. Jude for treatment stay in Memphis Grizzlies House, Ronald McDonald House or Target House. This gives them the chance to live as normal a life as possible while undergoing treatment.

Amber Valletta, a supermodel and actress, first learned about St. Jude when she did the Math-A-Thon in school. She is now a member of a board that advises St. Jude. And Hollywood Director Tom Shadyac, who has made films like Ace Ventura, Nutty Professor, Liar Liar and Bruce Almighty, is also a St. Jude supporter.

The most important supporters of St. Jude are not famous people. Millions of people like you support St. Jude through small donations or by volunteering to participate in events. Together, all these people make Danny Thomas’ dream possible: that no child should die in the dawn of life. We are a beacon of light in a parent's darkest night. We are where some of today's most gifted researchers are able to do more science, more quickly. Where doctors across the world send their toughest cases and most vulnerable patients. Where no one pays for treatment beyond what is covered by insurance, and those without insurance are never asked to pay. We've built America's 3rd-largest health-care charity, with a model that keeps the costs down and the funds flowing, so the science never stops.

We are a legendary hub of achievement and accomplishment. We were, in fact, the first to cure the most common form of childhood leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), helping to drive the cure rate from 4% in 1962 to over 80% today. We've recently pioneered a unique procedure allowing children to receive a life-saving bone marrow transplant from a parent without an exact marrow match. We are home to the team currently pioneering the development of a new, multi-envelop HIV vaccine designed to combat all the natural strains of the virus, and the only pediatric health facility in the world to build our own on-site facility to manufacture highly specialized life-saving drugs.



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ST. JUDE NEWS



St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fund-raising organization.

To support the St. Jude 2006 Thanks and Giving campaign, Target has created a plush elephant gift card holder. For every plush elephant sold (priced at $2.99) a minimum of $1.50 will go to St. Jude. The plush elephant will be available at Target stores nationwide beginning November 5.

Elephants symbolize family, remembering loved ones and helping others in need – traits that St. Jude and elephants share. The ears of the elephant gift card holder are decorated with whimsical snowflakes that were designed by Julia, a St. Jude patient and Target House resident. Target House is the home-away-from-home for families whose children are receiving life-saving treatment at St. Jude.