Blank Children's Hospital

04/03/2026

Supporting our littlest patients ✨ 📚 🐛

A big thank you to the Holtgrewe Family for generously donating more than 2,000 books for the NICU through their Littlest Bookworm Program! This program has touched the lives of NICU patients and families for 8 years. 💙

04/02/2026

Discover what it means to be a nurse! Students entering 7th and 8th grade will experience hands-on skills labs, simulated bedside patient care, first aid and CPR certification. Registration is $100. Scholarships are available. Nurse camp will be June 4-5 (http://ms.spr.ly/6183Q06Gz) July 20-21 (http://ms.spr.ly/6184Q06GM) or August 6-7 (http://ms.spr.ly/6185Q06G3) from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. each day.

04/02/2026

After more than 40 years of caring for countless young patients and families, mentoring future physicians and leading medical education in Central Iowa, Dr. Ken Cheyne will retire on April 3, 2026. 💙

Many know Dr. Cheyne through his years of service at Blank Children’s Hospital. We are grateful for his compassion, leadership and commitment to helping patients, families and colleagues. His impact will continue to be felt for years to come. Please join us in celebrating his incredible career and wishing him all the best in his well-earned retirement!

04/01/2026

Check out Blank Children's updated procedure rooms! ✨ 🤩

Thank you to Variety - the Children's Charity of Iowa for their generous grant to upgrade five procedure rooms across Blank Children's Hospital. New paint, TVs, sensory features and specialty equipment make these spaces calming and child-friendly. This transformation brings comfort and joy to children during challenging moments. 💙

03/30/2026

Celebrating our doctors in the sweetest way! 🧁

This Doctors' Day, we’re showing our appreciation for the compassionate, dedicated providers who care for our patients every single day. Thank you for the difference you make in the lives of our children and families.

03/27/2026

Your Impact Matters. 💙

The difference your support makes is felt throughout our halls every day. From the little moments that bring a smile to a child's face to the big, important moments that forever change lives - you walk with patients every step of the way.

Click here to see the full 2025 impact report: https://adobe.ly/40UyzN4

03/27/2026

🌟 Celebrating our Shining Stars! 🌟

Last night we had the privilege of honoring and celebrating the amazing Shining Stars who give their time, talents and treasures back to Blank Children's! These youth philanthropists make a true difference for children in the hospital and raised more than $44,000 in 2025! 💙✨

➡ Check out the event photos here: flic.kr/s/aHBqjCPgEs

03/24/2026

We honor and remember Rebecca “Becky” Cretsinger with one of our two 2025 Making a Difference Awards. This is the highest honor a team member can receive. Becky was a devoted nurse and beloved colleague whose compassion touched countless lives at UnityPoint Health and Blank Children’s Hospital. For more than 30 years, Becky served patients, families and coworkers with kindness, calm and unwavering dedication. Becky passed away in February 2025 after a courageous battle with cancer, but her legacy lives on in the lives she cared for and the love she shared every day. Becky’s family and friends accepted the award on Becky’s behalf during a recent leadership meeting.

03/21/2026

A special shoutout from one of our nurses to our Child Life team for the comfort and support they bring to our patients each day. 💜

03/17/2026

Gun safety starts at home. A new local report highlights a heartbreaking reality: gun violence is a leading cause of youth deaths in our community. If you have a firearm in your home, or if your children visit a home that does, safe storage matters. Locked, unloaded and secured fi****ms save lives. At Blank Children’s Hospital’s Hannah Geneser Learning Center & Safety Store, families can free gun locks, trusted education and supportive conversations with safety professionals. Learn more about safe storage and gun safety tips: http://ms.spr.ly/6186mpeJ0

“Each of those years, we lost about a kid a month to gun violence and that’s devastating."

03/14/2026

UnityPoint Health – Des Moines leaders joined peers and lawmakers at the Iowa Hospital Association and Iowa Organization of Nursing Leadership Day on the Hill to support meaningful conversations about key policies shaping health care in Iowa. We are committed to advocating for a healthier state for the patients we serve!

03/13/2026

The numbers are in...your support made a huge impact in 2025! 🌟

💙 From technology that gives life-saving care to babies in the NICU, to visits from a Child Life Specialist that turn worries into smiles - your donations give patients the support they need throughout their entire care journey.

Look what you made happen last year! ⏬