To children suffering from crippling conditions and debilitating burn injuries, Shriners Hospitals are nothing short of a miracle. All services and medical treatment provided to children or their parents is absolutely free of charge, with all costs being absorbed solely by members of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of North American, more commonly known as the Shriners, a fraternity founded in 1872.

The first Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children was built in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1922. Today, there are 19 hospitals for orthopedic care and three burn centers, a total of 22 facilities. Twenty of these are located in the United States, one in Mexico, and one in Canada. Although the fraternity had always supported various charities, the Shriners Hospitals became the sole charitable focus of the members of the Shrine Temple, and are maintained and run by the Shriners without any government funding accepted. Since 1922, more than $1.9 billion has been raised and/or donated by the Shrine Temple to cover the costs of building, operating, and research.

It is here that any needy child under the age of 18 can receive orthopedic or burn care free of charge. Acceptance to a Shriners Hospital is determined by the hospital’s chief of staff, and is based not only on the family’s financial need, but on whether or not the hospital has the ability to provide the help the child needs.

Every child at a Shriners Hospital is sponsored by an individual Shriner, who works together with the family and the hospital to insure that the best care is being provided. The sponsoring Shriner may, if needed, also provide the child and their family transportation to and from the facility. Many Shriners also donate hours of their time to visiting and entertaining the children during their hospital stay.

Because the Shriners understand the importance of the family in a child’s recovery process, parents and family members are encouraged to be fully involved in the child’s care and recovery. The hospitals provide room for at least one parent to stay at the facility with the child while teaching them how to administer care at home. The family is also provided with on-site counseling.

Although research has always been a part of the Shriners Hospitals, it began to take on a major role in the 1960’s. One of the greatest research achievements of Shriners Hospital took place in 1983 when the Boston burn facility was able to save the lives of two boys burned over 97 percent of their bodies, by using a newly developed method of growing’ skin from small samples of healthy existing skin.

Shriners Hospitals for crippled or burned children accept all needy children regardless of race, religion, or connection to a Shriner or the Shrine Temple.