KOTA Cares: Naja Shriners helps families with medical treatment costs

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Cosmetic surgery isn’t all nose jobs and facelifts. For a pediatric patient, reconstructive surgery is often used to treat birth defects or scars from a traumatic injury or disease.

But this type of surgery can be costly for families.

Having surgery can be scary for a child and parents should be focused on making sure that child has the best care possible but with factors such as cost, travel, and time off work, many families are stressed trying to figure it out.

On this week’s KOTA Cares, we spotlight the Naja Shriners and the work they do to lift this burden.

The Shriners Hospitals for Children network has several hospitals worldwide that specialize in treatment for things like orthopedics, facial conditions, burns, and spinal injuries.

All care and services are provided to a patient regardless of their family’s insurance status or ability to pay.

And while Rapid City does not have a hospital, families are offered free transportation to and from all appointments at the more than 20 Shriner hospitals in North America.

”What we raise money for is our transportation fund, where we help move patients to and from our health care system. Which maybe an airline ticket to Chicago, a drive to the Twins Cities to our hospital system, whatever it takes to get our patients to see our doctors,” said Kip Wagner, past potentate for the Naja Shriners.

The members of the Naja Shriners transport more than 200 kids a year to hospitals in Minneapolis, Chicago, and Sacramento.

To donate to this week’s KOTA Cares, click here.

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