1903 – Palmer Ward
In 1901, Love Palmer, widow of Alonzo B. Palmer, gave the University its first gift in support of building a children’s hospital. $20,000 was donated by the Palmers to build a children’s ward on Catherine Street. The 75-bed Palmer Ward opened in 1903 and became a mainstay for pediatric patients and families and was one of the first in the nation devoted to treating children.
1905 – Pediatrics at U-M
The Pediatric Division opened within the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan and the first pediatrics course is offered to U-M Medical Students.
1922 – Child Life Program
On September 18, 1922, in what was then only a small wooden hospital for children at the University of Michigan campus, teacher Ruby Carlton begins the Child Life Program . Carlton’s purpose: to give every child in the hospital the opportunity for learning something of value.
1951 – Polio Treatments
The nation’s third polio respirator center opened at U-M, keeping polio-stricken children alive in “iron lungs.” The iron lung was used when the virus paralyzed the muscles in the chest and children were no longer able to breathe on their own. U-M’s Polio Respirator Center, directed by Dr. David Dickinson, helped pave the way for modern day intensive care units.
1955 – Polio Vaccine Trial
April 12, 1955, was a memorable day in U-M history. An announcement made at the University of Michigan changed the world when Dr. Thomas Francis, Jr., director of the Poliomyelitis Vaccine Evaluation Center announced that the new Salk polio vaccine was “safe, effective, and potent.” Thomas Francis was the lead researcher on a field study that led to the vaccine’s tested success. The field study involved 1.8 million children, an unprecedented number, especially in the days before computers.
1965 – Mott’s $6.5 Million Gift
In 1965, Michigan industrialist and philanthropist, Charles Stewart Mott, gave the University of Michigan a $6.5 million grant through his foundation to build its first children’s hospital, renowned today as one of the finest children’s hospitals in the nation. The hospital was named after Mott in honor of his generous gift.
1969 – C.S. Mott Opens
In 1969, U-M’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital opened its doors and served 3,500 children in the first year using 200 licensed beds. Mott was the U-M’s first separate children’s hospital and is now among the nation’s leading pediatric health care centers.
1973 – Mott Golf Classic
The Mott Golf Classic began in 1973 when a group called the Washtenaw County Life Underwriters decided on a golf outing fundraiser to help Mott Children’s Hospital. Now, nearly 40 years later , the Mott Golf Classic has raised more than $2 million to help the thousands of children treated at Mott Children’s Hospital. The Classic helps make possible the Mott Family Network program, which provides each Mott patient a bedside computer. The Classic has enabled the establishment of an endowment, now exceeding $1.5 million to carry on this important activity in the years to come.
1981 – ECMO Machine
In 1981, a team led by U-M’s Robert Bartlett, M.D., saved the life of the first baby ever to be treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO. A life support system now used in critically ill infants, children and adults, ECMO oxygenates blood outside the body, allowing underdeveloped or ailing lungs to rest and grow stronger. It also provides crucial blood pumping functions to aid failing hearts. The hospital’s pediatric and neonatal intensive care units routinely use ECMO to help patients survive crucial periods in their illness.
1983 – Survival Flight
On May 16, 1983, Michigan’s first hospital-based helicopter service lifted off from a small landing pad in the University of Michigan Hospital courtyard. That flight—staffed with a pilot, a flight nurse and a physician—was the first of more than 25,000 missions Survival Flight would embark upon to save lives. Today, the Survival Flight crew continues to provide air and ground emergency triage and care to critically ill or injured patients around the clock, making Survival Flight one of the top air ambulance programs in the nation.
1990 – MCHC Opens
The Maternal Child Health Center opened, giving a new “front door” for children’s and women’s services and offering expanded space for the Birth Center , the Holden NICU and other services.
2002 – Child Life 80th Anniversary
For more than 80 years, Mott’s Child Life Program has provided young patients and their families support as they deal with medical conditions and hospitalization. Child Life offers in-hospital education to help children keep up with schoolwork, as well as a back-to-school transition program. Art therapy and music therapy help children express themselves, while visits from trained dogs and their volunteer owners bring smiles to their faces.
2003, 2005 – Mott Makes Child Magazine’s “Best” List
In 2003, Mott Children’s Hospital earned a spot on Child magazine’s top 10 list of best hospitals for children. Mott was ranked 5th nationally and was the only hospital in Michigan in the top ten. In 2005, Mott was chosen again as one of Child magazine’s best children’s hospitals in America. The survey also placed two specialty areas at Mott Hospital among the 10 best in the nation, with orthopaedics ranking 5th and cardiac care ranking 7th. Mott Hospital ranked 14th overall.
2005 – C.S. Mott Gift
On April 8, 2005, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation gave a $25 million grant to help construct a new, state-of-the-art building for its children’s and women’s health services. The grant by the Mott Foundation is the largest ever to the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers, part of the U-M Health System, and the largest single grant in the Mott Foundation’s history.
2011 – New C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital Opens
The new C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital opened its doors in December 2011. This state-of-the-art facility is the culmination of our rich history, generous support and groundbreaking status in the medical field. Mott is committed to evolving, transforming and driving the future of children’s medicine.