The University of Louisville has received nearly $1 million in grant funding this year from the WHAS Crusade for Children. The awards announced today help fund direct patient care as well as much-needed equipment purchases so UofL can continue providing the best possible care to children who have special needs.

The Crusade has provided $947,000 this year to support programs throughout the university and includes $325,000 to support the renovation of a new subspecialty office at Old Brownsboro Crossing. The office, scheduled to open this fall, will make pediatric subspecialty care more easily accessible to communities east of Louisville.

“The WHAS Crusade for Children and the University of Louisville have for years partnered to accomplish a single goal, provide the best health care possible for the children of Louisville and Kentucky,” said UofL President James R. Ramsey. “The generosity of the Crusade makes it possible for us to provide that care, especially to patients with special needs. We cannot express our thanks to the Crusade often enough.”

“The people of Kentuckiana are who make it

possible for the WHAS Crusade for Children to provide area agencies with funds to help children who have special needs and we thank each and every person who makes a donation,” said Dawn Lee, president and CEO of the Crusade. “And all of us in Kentuckiana have to recognize what a jewel we have in the University of Louisville, especially in its efforts to meet the needs of the children we serve.”

“Relationships such as the one we have with the WHAS Crusade for Children are critical to ensuring people have access to the most advanced health care possible,” said Dr. David L. Dunn, executive vice president for health affairs at UofL. “The generosity of the Crusade will ensure that a growing number of children have the ability to receive the services they need.”

“The WHAS Crusade for Children has been especially generous in their 60th year, helping us extend our reach down the I-71 corridor to make critical pediatric specialty care more easily available to children and families from Oldham, Shelby and Carroll Counties. We are proud to share a common mission with the Crusade: serving the needs of children.

In addition to helping fund the renovation of the new clinical site, a significant amount of the funding received helps support the Weisskopf Child Evaluation Center. At the WCEC, children with developmental, learning and behavioral disorders like autism receive diagnostic and intervention services. Genetic evaluation and counseling also are provided to children and adults who have or are at risk of having a birth defect or genetic disorder.

In addition to direct patient services, WCEC also provides training to professionals and community advocates. Throughout the year, professionals from many different areas rotate through the center, providing them a hands-on experience with a special-needs population. The center also collaborates with professionals in the community to better serve children with special needs and their families.

Other support from the WHAS Crusade for Children will support a pediatric rehabilitation program that provides intensive therapies to children with spinal cord injuries for improved strength and mobility, provide clinical services in pediatric neurology and evaluate new fetuses as they develop for the prevention of birth defects. Additionally, the UofL College of Education and Human Development received funding to support undergraduate and graduate scholarships for special education teacher training. The Center for Women & Infants at University Hospital will be able to purchase specialized syringes for use in the neonatal intensive care unit.

In 2010, UofL formally launched the Charting our Course comprehensive campaign. With an initial goal of $750 million, the university stretched that philanthropic target to $1 billion by the end of June 2014. Funds raised are designated for academic support, scholarships and programs for students; faculty recruitment, research and professional development; infrastructure enhancements

and upkeep of athletic facilities; and support of the university’s academic units and libraries. To date, more than $847 million has been raised so UofL can continue its journey to becoming a premiere metropolitan research university and enhancing the lives of the people of Kentucky and beyond.