Toy Donations to Raise Kids’ Spirits at San Francisco General Hospital

The Orthopaedic Trauma Institute (OTI) at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) will host its annual holiday party on Thursday, December 20, 2007 from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. in Room 3M during the Orthopaedic Pediatrics Clinic. The department’s own Santa Claus will distribute toys donated by the community and hospital staff to children recovering from orthopaedic injuries.

“Our toy drive has been a great success in past years, and we’re expecting this year to be the biggest ever due to the generous support of our donors and the enthusiasm of our staff,” said Theodore Miclau, MD, Vice Chairman and Professor of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at SFGH. “It’s heartwarming to see the department and the community rally together to help these children forget about their injuries and enjoy the holidays.”

The toy drive began four years ago as an OTI initiative to benefit children in the orthopaedic trauma unit during the holidays. Since then, the toy drive has doubled in size every year, with donations from local companies significantly increasing the number of toys that children receive. Philadelphia Financial began donating to the OTI toy drive after an employee’s son was hospitalized in the Midwest due to a serious sledding accident. When the boy received a Christmas gift, his spirits were significantly elevated and this later inspired the family to spearhead a similar initiative in their own community. This year’s toy drive is underway and toy donations will be handed off to the OTI on December 12, 2007, with the hope that more children will be positively impacted by this endeavor.

“This clinic functions more as primary care facility than simply an outpatient center,” said Eliana Delgado, MD, orthopaedic surgeon for the OTI Pediatric Orthopaedic clinic and Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF. “The children we see come from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and often do not have the means for medical care let alone a holiday gift. The OTI can really do something for these kids.”

To donate toys, mail or drop them off at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 1001 Potrero Avenue, Room 3A36, San Francisco, 94110. For more information about the OTI holiday celebration, please contact Anita Chordia at (415) 621-6626 or achordia@coactivepr.com.

About the Orthopaedic Trauma Institute
The Orthopaedic Trauma Institute (OTI) at San Francisco General Hospital is the only trauma center in San Francisco – a service area of approximately 1.5 million people – specializing in the treatment and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries. As part of the faculty at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), surgeons at the OTI comprise the largest consortium of orthopaedic fellowship-trained traumatologists in California. For more information about the OTI, please visit http://www.orthotrauma.com.