On November 1, Burn Aid Foundation President Sean Flaherty and Vice President Matt Gallagher presented a donation of $42,500 to the staff of the Regions Hospital Burn Center. The donation was the result of the 23rd Annual Burn Aid Golf Classic, held in September. The donation will be used to support the unique programs, equipment, and specialized burn survivor camps of the Center. This year’s donation was the largest ever made to the Burn Center, and over the past 23 years, the generous members and supporters of the Minnesota Chapter of NFSA have presented over $1.2 million to support the Burn Center’s work.

Member of the Burn Aid Foundation and NFSA staff members toured the Burn Center before the check presentation. The breadth and scope of the care provided at the Center are amazing:

Over 500 burn in-patient survivors cared for this year.

Over 2,800 patients treated via the Center’s Telemedicine Program.

The Center has 10 general population rooms and 8 ICUs specifically set up and equipped for burn survivors. The Center also has several family rooms that provide temporary lodging for families from outstate areas.

The Regions Burn Center is one of three burn specialty centers in Minnesota (HCMC in Minneapolis and Miller-Dwan in Duluth being the other two), and these three are essentially the only burn specialty centers between Denver and Chicago in the upper Midwest.

The average Burn Center stay is about 1 ½ days in-patient care for every 1% of body surface burned

The Burn Center is the “wound care specialists” for the hospital. Besides burns, they care for “flesh eating bacteria” infections, frostbite, and other special wound situations.

The Telemedicine Program allows doctors from outlying areas to discuss burn injuries with Burn Center staff, resulting in treatment at the local hospitals instead of transport to Regions for about 2/3 of the patients. This results in far less travel for burn patients and their families. That telemedicine program treats over 2,800 patients annually from Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas.

The Burn Aid Golf Classic this year hosted 107 golfers. The Foundation is gearing up for next year, and then for the “big one:” the 25th Annual event in 2021. Please visit the Foundation’s website for updates, and please plan to attend or sponsor the Golf Classic next September.