Michigan Cares

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Piggy Bank Power

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Sky High

A 300−foot tower crane signals the progress of construction of the new Mott Hospital

Mott patients with model crane This summer, Ann Arbor’s medical campus skyline welcomed a new landmark. One 300−foot tower crane is the tallest crane in North America that is not tied back to a structure. (A second crane is expected to go up in December.) The unique crane is part of the building project for the new University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Women’s Hospital.

Groundbreaking for the project took place in October 2006 and the new hospital is scheduled to open in spring of 2011. When completed, it will have 855,000 square feet devoted to inpatient space; 245,000 square feet for clinics and offices; and approximately 180,000 square feet of space for future growth and expansion.

Designing the hospital has been a team effort with many Mott patients and families giving their input into the planning process. Families participated in focus groups and shared their thoughts about what they liked and didn‘t like about the current hospital. They also created a wish list of what they’d like to see in the new hospital.

Keeping families involved throughout the process, many participated in an event celebrating the erection of the crane where they donned hard hats and built their own cranes.

Find out more about how you can support this project by calling the Children’s and Women’s Health Development Team at 734−998−7702 or sending an e−mail to mott-development@med.umich.edu

Give Michigan’s Children a Boost

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Michigan children ages 14 and under. Michigan has some of the poorest passenger safety laws in the country, especially regarding booster seats. A booster seat ’boosts’ a child up to help the adult safety belt fit correctly. Children ages 4 to 8 using seat belts alone are four times more likely to suffer head/brain injury compared to those using proper child restraints. A booster seat makes them 59 percent safer than a safety belt alone.

As part of a movement to pass better child passenger safety legislation, the University of Michigan Children’s Advocacy Initiative (CAI) joined forces with the Boost MI Kids Coalition, generating dozens of letters to legislators to pass new safety laws. On June 27, 2007, four new child passenger safety laws were passed in the Michigan House. The fight is far from over, as equivalent bills need to be passed in the Senate too, in order to change Michigan’s frightening child passenger safety track record. As of January 2007, 38 states have laws that require older children to use appropriate child safety seats, including booster seats. We cannot afford to be left behind.

Car seat installed correctly? Call the Mott Buckle Up! Hotline at 734−763−2251 to schedule a free appointment to have your car seat checked. Help make Michigan safer for our children—visit the Boost MI Kids Coalition Web site at www.boostmikids.org. Join the Children’s Advocacy Initiative by e−mailing child−advocacy@med.umich.edu.