MEDIA ADVISORY: Blue Jackets Foundation to Donate 30 Televisions for Hematology/Oncology Unit at Nationwide Children's Hospital on Wednesday in Memory of Ryan Salmons

March 17, 2010

What:
The Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation will donate 30 hospital-grade 26” HD LCD televisions and proper wall mounts to outfit all patient rooms in the Hematology/Oncology unit at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.  This gift is given in memory of Ryan Salmons, a pediatric cancer patient who signed a one-day contract with the Blue Jackets at the end of last season and passed away last May.  It was Ryan’s personal wish to leave a legacy gift that will serve patients who are often confined to their hospital rooms for extended periods of time.  

The complete units were purchased by funds raised by the Blue Jackets Foundation in Ryan’s memory.  Each television will feature a plaque commemorating the donation in his name. 

Who:
Brad Salmons - Ryan’s father
Jon Fitzgerald – President, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation
Nicholas Yeager, MD – Ryan’s primary attending physician    

The Columbus Blue Jackets will be represented by players Derek Dorsett and Kris Russell, General Manager Scott Howson, interim Head Coach Claude Noel and team president Mike Priest.

When:      
Wednesday, March 17 - 2 p.m.
(1:50 p.m. arrival is requested to allow time to get to Hematology/Oncology unit)

Where:  
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
*Media will be met at the Outpatient Care Center (OCC) lobby and escorted to the event location.  Parking is available in the courier drop-off located at the OCC entrance (555 S. 18th St)   If full, parking is available in the visitors parking garage located at the OCC entrance on the corner of S. 18th St. and Mooberry.

Notes:  
Since its inception in 2000, the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation has granted nearly $3 million to local non-profit organizations in support of its four main pillars of giving:  pediatric cancer, education, children’s health and safety, and the development of youth and amateur hockey.

-- CBJF --

Contacts:  
Karen Davis, Columbus Blue Jackets – (614) 246-4310/cell: (614) 332-5924
Mary Ellen Peacock, Nationwide Children’s Hospital – (614) 355-0495/cell: (614) 937-7316

About Nationwide Children's Hospital

Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-25 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 16,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.8 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org