PCH Teen Board

The Meal Program at Phoenix Children’s offers a culinary experience to patients and families in the hospital cafeteria and through room service. The cafeteria offers a wide variety of nutritious food made fresh to order, while At Your Request™ Room Service Dining gives patients and families healthy meal and snack options that they can order to support the changing and sometimes unpredictable schedules, needs or moods of a sick or injured child. Phoenix Children’s Hospital emphasizes stress-free nutritional options by providing no-cost meal vouchers to thousands of parents and siblings so families can focus on their child’s recovery.

Many families must come to the hospital at a moment’s notice and some travel from across the state without any time to prepare—the last thing a parent is thinking about is eating a healthy meal. Parents are usually exhausted, stressed and worried while some might not even be able to afford multiple meals during a hospital stay. Additionally, patients who are receiving infusion therapy such as chemotherapy are offered lunch so they can enjoy a well-balanced meal. Meal vouchers are provided for families to use in the hospital cafeteria or At Your Request™ Room Service Dining.

When children fight cancer, survival today is what matters most. Still, chemotherapy, radiation and surgery can profoundly affect their reproductive systems. The kids we treat might not be thinking about family planning yet, but at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, we want to prepare them for the future.

Today, medical advancements have delivered much progress, and 83 percent of pediatric cancer patients survive. While more children are conquering cancer, we want to help them navigate some of the problems they may cope with once the battle has been won, including the risk for infertility. Fortunately, there is a way you can help us help children undergoing treatment before they even begin to consider starting a family, delivering hope and healing that spans lifetimes.

Fertility Preservation encompasses cryopreservation (or the freezing at sub-zero temperatures for future use) of sperm for boys; and eggs, embryos, and reproductive tissue for girls. Counseling our patients and families to think proactively about these options improves the chances of future attempts at family planning. 56 percent of our patients are insured by the state’s Medicaid program, and many are unable to afford the fees associated with the initial collection and storage of bio materials. Generous philanthropy will continue to enable the Phoenix Children’s to cover the costs. Approximately 100 families pursue these services each year.