There are an estimated 166,000 patients with spina bifida in the US and over 50 percent of them are becoming adults. Spina bifida occurs among 1 in every 2,875 births in the US each year, according to the CDC. There are only 25 clinics in the nation solely dedicated to the care of adult patients with spina bifida.

At Vanderbilt University Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center, ED arrival volumes have increased 8% over last year. In response, there's a newly developed rapid follow-up program for patients who can be referred safely to outpatient clinics for evaluation and treatment. 

On a given day, the Vanderbilt Trauma Center may admit multiple gunshot and motor vehicle accident victims. For 27 years, across nearly 100,000 admissions, the Trauma Center’s physicians, nurses and staff have been treating patients arriving from a region covering 80,000 square miles.

Steve Glaeser fell in an Aldi supermarket; a Vanderbilt Health critical care nurse saved his life.

The Charles Strobel Legacy of Service Award recognizes individuals or groups who have made a lasting impact on the community through their volunteerism.

Vanderbilt Clinical Research Center nurse Sherri Hails, RN, shares messages of gratitude through heart-shaped reminders.

Mike doesn’t remember the names of all the people who took care of him while he was at VUMC so long ago, but he does have a message for any of them who read this.