6 young kids playing outside and having fun

CMN Children's Services

Children's Miracle Network at Lauren Small Children's Center

At Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, every child's arrival signifies the start of a miracle. With your help, we can deliver more of these much-needed miracles to local children.

Since 1983, Children's Miracle Network has amassed over $5 billion, primarily through $1 donations, for 170 children's hospitals across the United States and Canada. These funds are strategically allocated to support vital research and training, procure essential equipment, and cover uncompensated care, all aligned with our mission to save and improve as many young lives as possible.

Currently, a Children's Miracle Network Hospital in your community is dedicated to saving children's lives. Every minute, 62 children—or one child per second—receive treatment at a Children's Miracle Network Hospital. These young patients face a range of challenges, from respiratory issues and traumatic injuries to the constant care required for those born prematurely or with genetic diseases.

In Bakersfield and Kern County, Children's Miracle Network has raised over $15 million, solidifying its position as a leading contributor to the development of pediatric services in the region. The majority of these funds come from corporate sponsors and special events, including the Larry Carr Play Yellow golf tournament, presented by Valley Strong, and the CMN Day of Giving - Miracles on 34th Street, hosted by KGET-17.

Bakersfield Memorial Hospital has been a Children's Miracle Network partner since 1991. Every dollar raised through this partnership goes directly to the Lauren Small Children's Center, providing pediatric equipment, technology, programs, and health education for children. Your support for Children's Miracle Network ensures that children receive the specialized care they need and deserve.

Our dedicated sponsors, in collaboration with our hospitals and media partners, make Children's Miracle Network a globally recognized example of effective, efficient, and compelling teamwork for children.

Thanks to our Generous Sponsors

Logos for the CMN Sponsors

Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1981 to raise funds for equipment and services at Memorial Hospital. Since then, BMH Foundation has grown and established many worthy projects and raised more than $29 million, all to assist the hospital, its employees and ultimately and most importantly - the patients.

Since 1991, Bakersfield Memorial Hospital has been the only Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH) member serving Kern County and the southern San Joaquin Valley. All of the Foundation's fundraising efforts in conjunction with CMNH support pediatric services at Memorial Hospital. As with all of our philanthropic activities, all funds raised here, stay here to help serve our community.

In the early 1950's, the people of Bakersfield and Kern County found themselves in desperate need of a new hospital. A fundraising campaign was formed by civic leaders and healthcare professionals to raise money to build a true community hospital -- one owned and governed by the people. That drive led to the opening of the original 112-bed Greater Bakersfield Memorial Hospital in 1956.

Thanks to the continuing support of many donors, volunteers and local leaders, Memorial Hospital has continued to grow and meet the needs of this community. Numerous construction projects completed throughout the years have made Memorial the largest regional medical center in the Southern Valley. The facility now includes 385 general acute beds, 48 licensed critical care beds, 13 state-of-the-art surgical suites, and a full-service Emergency Department with an Accredited Chest Pain Center and Nationally Certified Stroke Center. In addition, it offers a beautiful Family Care and Birthing Center, the Lauren Small Children's Center including the area's only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Family Care Center, a Level II NICU, the Sarvanand Heart and Brain Center with Kern County's first Bi-Plane Interventional Suite and Hybrid Catheterization Lab, the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbarics, and many more services.

In September 2017, Memorial opened the Robert A. Grimm Children's Pavilion for Emergency Services. Designed specifically for pediatric patients, the Pavilion features a separate waiting area and specialized treatment area just for children.

State licensing approval of the Grossman Burn Center's S.A. Camp Companies Burn Unit at Memorial Hospital took place in May 2019. This unit now offers world-class burn care to burn survivors in our community.

Children's Miracle Network logo with Bakersfield Foundation logo with text

Become a Miracle Maker

Team up with Memorial through any CMN event to help fund medical miracles! Every dollar raised will benefit the medical care and support services that sick and injured children receive at Lauren Small Children’s Center.

For more information on supporting CMN, please reach out to:

Susan Hopkins (661) 541-0188
susan.hopkins900@commonspirit.org

Panda Cares Center of Hope logo

Panda Cares® Center of Hope

The Lauren Small Children’s Center (LSCC) at Dignity Health - Memorial Hospital is proud to announce the dedication of the Panda Cares® Center of Hope, made possible by Panda Express® associates and guests, whose generosity help change kids’ health, change the future.

Preston Standee

Preston

Preston, born at 25 weeks and weighing only 1 pound 3 ounces, was a micro-preemie who spent 141 days in the NICU at Lauren Small Children's Center at Memorial. His underdeveloped lungs required ventilator support to save his fragile life. Despite the shock of his early birth, Preston's parents remained calm and focused on providing him with the love and care he needed.

Programs Funded by Children’s Miracle Network Donations

Pediatric Surgical Suites

In the fall of 2025, Bakersfield Memorial Hospital (BMH) will complete a two-year project to expand the Lauren Small Children's Center (LSCC). This expansion includes two new dedicated pediatric surgical suites and an additional 5,000 square feet.

The new area will house pediatric preoperative and post-anesthesia (recovery) units, as well as essential surgical support spaces. These include a dedicated pediatric nurse's station, equipment storage, clean and soiled storage, environmental services, scrub and sub-sterile areas, general circulation, and dedicated reception and waiting areas. The expansion is located directly above the current emergency department.

This project will significantly enhance medical care for Kern County's youth. Currently, the county lacks dedicated pediatric surgical beds and resident pediatric surgeons. This expansion will address these gaps by adding two resident pediatric surgeons and additional medical and administrative support staff. According to the-hospitalist.org, providing high-quality, evidence-based pediatric care within a child's home community is ideal. By adding pediatric surgical services to the Lauren Small Children's Center at Bakersfield Memorial, we will increase access for local community members in need.

The estimated cost of the project is nearly $25 million, which covers the build-out onto the existing emergency department, new equipment, furnishings, and technology to support the new suites.

The primary goal of this project is to improve overall healthcare access for our community. Residents of Bakersfield and Kern County currently travel up to 150 miles for specialized pediatric surgical services. The new suites will provide readily available local access, reducing stress for patients and their caregivers.

Learn More

Art Cart Program

Studies show that engaging in creativity helps reduce the perception of pain by shifting mental focus away from painful stimuli while simultaneously promoting relaxation and increasing one’s self-confidence. Offering a variety of artistic, creative, and reflective activities, the Art Cart takes the healing power of creative expression directly to the bedside of our patients of all ages, with a specialized focus in pediatrics, serving some of our youngest patients in the Lauren Small Children’s Center and Grossman Burn Center at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital. In an atmosphere where our patients can feel anxious, alone, and out of control, the Art Cart offers a therapeutic and healing tool, reducing stress and loneliness while providing opportunities for healing and wholeness through self-expression.

This program is made possible by the generous support of ACE Hardware, Inc. Because of this gift, we can positively impact our patients’ creative expression and self-discovery for the next 12 months.