We are now Children's Wisconsin

If you’re like many parents in Wisconsin, you might have first heard of Children’s Wisconsin as the hospital where sick kids go to get better.

Since the day we were founded in 1894 as Milwaukee’s Free Hospital, we’ve always been there for Wisconsin’s kids when an emergency or a serious illness strikes — and we always will be.

But that’s not our whole story.

Our story includes 9-year-old Takiya, who was struggling with peers and having trouble learning until she got mental health care right down the hall from her classroom in one of our school-based mental health clinics.

• Takiya's care is one of 100,000 mental and behavioral health touch points we had last year.

Our story includes pediatric specialist Lynn D’Andrea, MD, and her many colleagues who first recognized the signs of vaping-related illness in teenagers, setting off a national health alert about e-cigarettes.

• Dr. D’Andrea is one of more than 400 pediatric subspecialists who practices as part of Children’s Specialty Group.

Our story includes 15-year-old Ashana, who was recently adopted by her forever family through our foster and adoption care services.

• Ashana is one of 9,000 children served through our foster and adoption services.

Our story includes Kim Cronsell, MD, a primary care physician at Franklin Pediatrics, who is leading our efforts to bring digital health and experience to the community.

• Dr. Cronsell is one of 146 primary care pediatricians who practices as part of Children’s Primary Care.

Our story includes 8-year-old Milosz, who gets support from our School Intervention Program through our Herma Heart Institute, helping his teachers understand the connection between his heart defects and behavioral struggles to ensure academic and social success.

• Milosz is one of more than 394,000 specialty care visits offered by our hospitals in Milwaukee and the Fox Valley, in schools, and through our specialty clinics.

Our story includes care for kids in so many different ways: in the hospital and in primary care, in the emergency department and in a therapist's office, through a digital health offering or at a school nurse’s office, through our child advocacy efforts or our health insurance plans. It includes the parents who work alongside us, and the donors and advocates who support our work.

More than a hospital and a health system, we are a community of caregivers dedicated to making Wisconsin’s kids the healthiest in the nation.

What do you call an organization with a vision that bold? Starting today, we are evolving our name to Children’s Wisconsin.

Children’s Wisconsin reflects our current and future commitment to the kids of Wisconsin, partnering with families and communities to ensure they have what they need for healthy childhoods and beyond, within and beyond the walls of the hospital.

We’re proud to stand with you and look to the future as Children’s Wisconsin. We know most people will still call us Children’s. And you can, too.

Smriti Khare, MD Pediatrician and Chief Mental and Behavioral Health Officer Children’s Wisconsin

Children’s Wisconsin is the region’s only independent health care system dedicated solely to the health and well-being of children. At Children’s Wisconsin, we know kids aren’t just little adults and we tailor care specifically for the unique needs of a small, growing body.