This summer’s meeting of the Harriet Lane Home Foundation Board of Trustees had an exciting conclusion, as its members traveled to The Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus to see the foundation’s name inscribed on the Founders Wall. The wall celebrates benefactors who have donated at least $7 million — the amount of the gift made by benefactor Johns Hopkins to establish the university and hospital.

“We’re delighted about it,” says Frederick Koontz, chair of the foundation’s board and senior counsel at Whiteford, Taylor and Preston. “The Harriet Lane Home has been an integral part of The Johns Hopkins Hospital and particularly, the Children’s Center, for many, many years. So to have this history recognized on the Founders Wall is great.”

Since the 1990s, the foundation has directed the majority of its gifts toward the Division of Pediatric Nephrology and the Harriet Lane Kidney Center, with annual six-figure contributions (now totaling over $8.5 million), says Division Chief Alicia Neu. “It has allowed us to continue to provide state-of-the-art care to some of the sickest children in the hospital,” she says.

The relationship between the board and the division began at a time when developments for treatment of end-stage kidney disease, dialysis and transplant in pediatric patients “were really advancing,” Neu says, including better therapies to provide dialysis to acutely ill children. Then-Division Chief Barbara Fivush seized upon that, developed the first home peritoneal dialysis program in the state and built up clinical programs for children with end-stage and chronic kidney disease who needed transplants and dialysis. The division also provides lifesaving dialysis for young patients with complex congenital heart disease, and those who are undergoing heart or liver transplants, who have kidney failure, Neu says.

“The foundation really has supported every aspect of the division, including comprehensive, multidisciplinary outpatient care from social workers, dietitians, behavioral psychologists, child life specialists and specialized nurses, in addition to physicians,” says Neu. 

Additionally, the foundation’s gifts have supported Camp All Stars, an annual two-day overnight camp for children and young adults who have chronic kidney disease, are on dialysis or have had kidney transplants,  as well as pilot research studies and advocacy projects.

Foundation funds have also provided support to the palliative care program at the Children’s Center; clinical programs for children with diabetes, pancreatic disease and gastrointestinal diseases; and the development of a complex care team to coordinate care for children with multiple medical/surgical issues.

“They’re absolutely dedicated to funding things that benefit the children who receive their care at the hospital, and the children of Baltimore,” Neu says. “We simply could not do the work that we’re doing without their support.”