The Shrine's official Philanthropy is Shriner's Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 hospitals as a pediatric healthcare system, that provides very expensive medical care at no cost to children with orthopaedic problems or burn injuries.

Where are they located?
Twenty are in the U.S. : Boston ; Chicago ; Cincinnati ; Erie , PA ; Galveston , TX ; Greenville , SC ; Honolulu ; Houston ; Salt Lake City ; Lexington , KY ; Los Angeles ; Philadelphia ; Portland ; St. Louis ; Sacramento ; Shreveport , LA ; Spokane ; Springfield ; Tampa , FL ; and Minneapolis . The other two are in Montreal , Canada and Mexico City , Mexico .

Is there one here in Phoenix ? If not, where is the closest?
No. However, we do have an orthopaedic hospital in Los Angeles , Salt Lake City , and Shriners Burn Institute in Sacramento . We supply the transportation to these hospitals.

Where do you get patients for your hospitals?
We get them from all over- the U.S. , Canada , Mexico , portions of Latin America , and even some overseas countries.

How much do they pay for their treatment?
They pay absolutely nothing. Patient’s families couldn’t pay for the medical services if they wanted to.

Who pays?
Actually, Shriners Hospitals for Children pick up the tab for every patient entering our hospitals.

How much does it cost to run these hospitals?
Over a million dollars a day. The 2000 budget was $540 million.

Where do you get that money?
It comes from the Shriners Hospitals endowment fund, hospital fund-raising events, and the annual hospital assessment paid by every Shriner, plus wills, gifts and bequests to the hospitals.

How much money do you get from the government?
None! No local, state or federal government funds are used to support Shriners Hospitals.

What kinds of orthopaedic problems do you treat at your hospitals?
Some of the most common include scoliosis (curvature of the spine), osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease), club foot, hand and back problems, limb deficiencies, leg length discrepancies, paralysis of limbs due to faulty congenital development of the spine and spinal nerves, rickets, and orthopaedic problems of cerebral palsy. (See below for complete list.)

Do you just treat Shriners’ kids?
No. Shriners Hospitals accept and treat any child (up to their 18 th birthday) if, in the opinion of the hospital’s chief of staff, the child can be helped. Our hospitals are open to all children without regard to race, religion or relationship to a Shriner.

How many patients are being treated now at your hospitals?
That number varies from month to month, but as we entered 2001, our records indicated that we have more than 179,892 active patients at our 22 hospitals.

How many have you treated since the first hospital opened?
Approximately 625,000.

How can I get my child admitted to your hospital?
You need to complete an application form which can be obtained by clicking on the link or from any Shrine Center or Shrine Club in your area, or by calling the toll-free patient referral numbers- in the United States , 1(800) 237-5055 or in Canada , 1(800) 361-7256.

What about your four burns hospitals? Where are they located?
Our Shriners Burns Institutes, in Boston, Cincinnati, Galveston, TX, and Sacramento are staffed and equipped to treat children with acute, fresh burns; children needing plastic reconstructive or restorative surgery as a result of healed burns; children with severe scarring, resulting in contractures or interference with proper mobility of the limbs; and patients with scarring and deformity of the face. Shriners Burns Institutes are recognized around the world as some of the finest burn care facilities found anywhere.

If I donate a dollar to Shriners Hospitals, how much of that dollar actually goes to Shriners Hospitals?
One hundred percent.

Of every dollar collected for your hospitals, what percent actually goes to support patient care?
Approximately 95 cents of every dollar of the operating budget this year goes directly to support patient care and research at the 22 Shriners Hospitals.

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Shriner's Hospitals for Children - also known as the "World's Greatest Philanthropy" - have been in existence for more than 75 years. Through the years, this network of 22 specialty hospitals has been responsible for improving the quality of life for more than 600,000 children under the age of 18

We treat the following:

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Application forms for admission to Shriner's Hospitals for Children are available by clicking on the link or from Shriners, the Shrine Office at (602) 231-0188, Shrine Clubs or Units, or by calling toll-free 1-800-237-5055 in the United States or 1-800-361-7256 in Canada.

Shriner's Hospitals are located throughout North America in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.