Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital

03/27/2026

March is Women’s History Month, and we are celebrating the incredible women who have helped shape children’s health care across the West.

Women have long led the way in caring for kids and families. In the late 1800s, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth brought compassionate care to growing communities, helping establish hospitals where children could receive care regardless of circumstance. Their leadership and commitment laid an early foundation for pediatric and family‑centered care.

In Utah, that same spirit lived on through the vision of Louie B. Felt and May Anderson, whose determination led to the founding of Primary Children’s Hospital in 1922. Built through grassroots efforts and the generosity of children donating their “birthday pennies,” Primary Children’s was created with one clear purpose: to care for children with compassion, hope, and dignity.

These stories are just a few of the incredible impacts women have made on healthcare and all of the Intermountain Health locations across the states we serve. Every day, caregivers build on the work of the women who came before them, providing specialized, lifesaving care for children and supporting families when they need it most.

03/09/2026

In May 2025, Angela became the first patient in Utah to undergo a new fetoscopic procedure to repair her daughter Daniela’s spina bifida in the womb.

The procedure was a success. Six weeks later, baby Daniela arrived at University of Utah Hospital, where her care team continued to support both mom and baby. Today, Daniela is thriving! She does physical therapy to strengthen her lower body, and Angela is hopeful she’ll keep making progress.

Since Angela’s surgery, the team at Primary Children’s has performed eight fetoscopic spina bifida repairs, more than the previous two years combined using the older method.

“Using this method we only have to make three small incisions on the uterus, and we use a camera along with small tools to repair the baby’s spine,” said Stephen Fenton, MD, a pediatric surgeon at University of Utah Health and Intermountain Health Primary Children’s Hospital. “Because we don’t have to make a larger incision on the uterus it gives the mother the opportunity for a regular delivery this pregnancy, as well as in the future.”

03/06/2026

When Patient Care Tech Jessica Cisneros-Macias met one of our Primary Children's Hospital patients, she said, "I hear you have a cleft. I do, too!” She showed him her scars and shared her story.

The child's parent said, "Her honesty and immediate connection with my child was literally life changing for him. He has never had a cleft friend, never had someone who he felt understood him and what he goes through, and never seen actual proof that he can someday talk ‘normal’ even though he struggles so much now. She gave him something that nobody else has been able to… hope. I’ll never be able to put into words my gratitude for Jessica. She shared something with my child that was so personal that most might be hesitant to do so, yet she didn’t hesitate at all… and by doing so, gave him an experience that will stay with him forever."
Congratulations on your LOVE Award, Jessica!

When Patient Care Tech Jessica Cisneros-Macias met one of our Primary Children's Hospital patients, she said, "I hear you have a cleft. I do, too!” She showed him her scars and shared her story.

The child's parent said, "Her honesty and immediate connection with my child was literally life changing for him. He has never had a cleft friend, never had someone who he felt understood him and what he goes through, and never seen actual proof that he can someday talk ‘normal’ even though he struggles so much now. She gave him something that nobody else has been able to… hope. I’ll never be able to put into words my gratitude for Jessica. She shared something with my child that was so personal that most might be hesitant to do so, yet she didn’t hesitate at all… and by doing so, gave him an experience that will stay with him forever."

Congratulations on your LOVE Award, Jessica!

03/04/2026

Best birthday present ever! Primary Children's Miller Family Campus celebrated their 2nd birthday with a ribbon-cutting for 8 new beds in the Medical-Surgical unit. We've had such high patient volumes in our first two years that we needed to build more rooms! It's been an honor to help so many families get the care they need closer to home over the past two years.

02/23/2026

On August 1, 2016, Brailey was traumatically injured in a riding lawn mower accident. One moment she was a typical 4-year-old enjoying a summer day. The next, she was being rushed by ambulance to a local hospital, then life-flighted to Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital, where she would spend three days in the pediatric intense care unit and 25 days in the neurotrauma program.

Thanks to the care she's received, Brailey is thriving today! Brailey is an active and involved teenager. She spends her days poolside with friends, Plays club basketball with her sister, and volunteers her time to support causes she believes in.

Pennies by the Inch remains rooted in the concept that every penny counts, and anyone can make a difference. All donations to Pennies by the Inch go to the area of greatest need at Primary Children’s Hospital, providing financial benefit to families in need, supporting expressive therapies, bereavement care, groundbreaking pediatric research, and more.

02/19/2026

When Maddison Vance of West Jordan went in for her 20‑week appointment, she received news Her baby girl had spina bifida. She didn’t even know prenatal repair surgery existed, let alone that it was available just minutes from home at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital.
But thanks to a new, minimally invasive fetoscopic procedure, Maddison’s daughter Jaycie became one of the early babies in Utah to receive this life‑changing repair before birth.

“I couldn’t be more grateful that this surgery was available — and only 30 minutes from our house has made follow‑up care easy,” Maddison shared. “Our daughter Jaycie is now four months old and hitting all her milestones. She’s our most special girl, and we love her so much.”

Doctors emphasize that fetal surgery isn’t a cure for spina bifida, but it does significantly reduce complications and can give children better lifelong function. Where some kids may have once faced major developmental delays or lifelong mobility challenges, many can now walk with assistance and have normal brain function.

“This fetoscopic method has only been around for about a decade, so we still have a long way to go in understanding the long‑term impact,” said Dr. Stephen Fenton. “But the early outcomes are exciting — and they’re giving families a new level of hope.”

Eight babies have already benefited from this new fetoscopic repair in Utah more than the previous two years combined.

The Grant Scott Bonham Fetal Center is a collaboration between Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital and the University of Utah Health and is a result of Intermountain Health’s Primary Promise campaign, which raised more than $642 million dollars to help build the nation’s model health system for children.

02/04/2026

We've had a lot of questions lately about drones and why they should never fly over a hospital helipad. Here's what you need to know.

Why drones and medical helicopters don’t mix 🚫🚁

Air medical helicopters operate in environments unlike any other aircraft. We fly low, often at night, and frequently in urgent, time-critical situations — especially during takeoff and landing at hospital helipads and bases.

Even small recreational drones pose a serious risk to air medical operations. At low altitudes, a drone can be difficult to detect and impossible to avoid in time. A collision could damage critical aircraft systems, injure crew members, or delay life-saving care for patients who need immediate transport.

Hospitals and helipads are particularly sensitive areas. These are places where aircraft must hover, land, and depart precisely — often within seconds of receiving a patient. Any unexpected object in the airspace, including drones, increases risk during these most vulnerable phases of flight.

Flying drones near hospitals, helipads, or emergency aircraft is not only dangerous — it is illegal. These restrictions exist to protect patients, flight crews, medical teams, and the communities we serve.

We are proud of our crews who train constantly to identify hazards and operate safely in complex environments. Safety in air medical transport is built on layers of protection — and public awareness is a critical part of that system.

If you fly drones, please help us keep everyone safe:
• Do not fly near hospitals or helipads
• Stay clear of emergency aircraft
• Follow all FAA rules and local regulations

When seconds matter, clear skies save lives.

01/25/2026

As we move through the heart of flu season, Infection Prevention teams across Intermountain are closely monitoring influenza activity and its impact on our hospitals and clinics. Activity varies by state, but is generally high across the country compared to last year.

In this quick video, Dr. Nathan Money, DO, shares tips to help protect your children, and when it might be time to seek care.

01/21/2026

Congratulations to Derek Sharp, Rehab Manager at Primary Children's Hospital on winning the LOVE Award. His nominator wrote:

“Derek excels at balancing the needs of our patients, his therapists, and the business requirements of Primary Children's Hospital. Since implementing a new access model, he has consistently checked in with each therapist to understand their feelings about the changes, offer support in managing their schedules, and handle difficult conversations with families. Derek shows immense compassion in his conversations with wary families, reassuring them, discussing options, and providing a space for them to express frustrations. He repeatedly takes on the responsibility of tough conversations, ensuring caregivers are spared this burden. His empathy extends to supporting the emotional well-being of his employees, encouraging self-care and recognizing that taking care of ourselves enables us to better care for our patients. Derek's empathy and emotional support make him an exceptional manager. Derek consistently goes above and beyond, always ready to field questions and gather information, even when he doesn't have the answers himself. He excels at ensuring closed-loop communication by looping us in on emails with his manager or therapists from other sites. This dedication to collaboration fosters a strong sense of teamwork and trust among all members. Derek's efforts to keep everyone informed and involved make us feel supported and heard. His actions significantly contribute to our team's well-being, making us feel like we have a reliable and trustworthy team to rely on, and reinforcing our confidence in our leadership. Derek excels in welcoming new employees and implementing efficient onboarding processes for therapists. He frequently checks in to understand mentoring needs and promotes a culture of mentorship and shadowing. He has encouraged us to attend conferences and participate in specialty clinics, enabling us to become the best therapists we can be and a more valuable asset to our team. Derek's dedication to fostering growth and collaboration truly sets him apart.”

01/17/2026

We love offering the same great care closer to home for our southern Salt Lake County and Utah County patients at our Miller Family Campus.

01/05/2026

Did Santa's reindeer fly to the 5th floor of Primary Children's Miller campus?
No, but the kids at our 5th floor Behavioral Health Unit didn't miss out on the fun when real reindeer came to visit.
Each year, we love it when Utah Reindeer partners with Santa Claus to bring real reindeer to Primary Children's Hospital. The reindeer hang out outside and greet patient families as they enter and exit our hospitals in Salt Lake and Lehi.
This year, Codie Thurgood, Clinical Manager of the Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit of the Miller Campus in Lehi, asked if we could bring the fun to her patients. These kids have a terrific outdoor terrace on their unit on the 5th Floor, but Santa's reindeer only fly on Christmas Eve, and the only space for the reindeer pen on the grounds of the Miller Campus was not visible from the 5th floor terrace.
Family Support Services caregivers Kelsi Moore and Halle Parkin took pictures from the Behavioral Health Unit terrace so they could see what the patients would see and come up with a plan. When Santa and the reindeer arrived at the hospital, Kelsi and Halle arranged for a time for Santa to walk the reindeer into the view of the Behavioral Health Unit terrace, and provided Santa with an electronic communications device so he could talk to the kids waving at him from the 5th floor.
“I was just really touched by that and the creativity, making sure that we are included for our patients that are here,” said Codie. "And you know, we have we have some patients in rough situations. So I just really love the creativity. I love the inclusiveness."
“Family Support Services have been tremendous, making sure that our patients are not left out and that we use these novel and creative approaches to make sure they're included," added Ashley Schlaich, Director of Clinical Pediatric Behavioral Health. "It really is touching and it's touching because for people with behavioral health backgrounds, this is not the norm. It's very easy to say, 'They don't fit,' so they're not included, but they really try to make it so that we do fit."

12/23/2025

Bells are ringing at Primary Children's Hospital - Miller Family Campus in Lehi, and not just because it's Christmas. Today we celebrated the bell ringing and end of cancer treatment for a bright, spirited 5-year-old girl. Alice was the first cancer patient seen in our Lehi clinic when it opened in February 2024, and she has filled our halls with joy ever since. We are thrilled that she is celebrating her recovery with her family, doctor, and caregiver teams this holiday season.