All care and services are provided in a family-centered environment. That care could be in jeopardy in the future.As the charity's endowment shrivels, the fraternal group known for wearing red fezzes and driving miniature cars in parades faces a serious decision: whether to close six of its hospitals.About 1,300 Shriners International members who sit on the hospital system's governing body are meeting in San Antonio this week. Meanwhile, they say, that fund has fallen to $5 billion from $8 billion in less than a year because of the sputtering stock market and a charitable giving slump that has hurt philanthropies nationwide. The Shriners disputed the claims.Only a fraction of the donations raised by members are used to fund the hospitals. The organization also will consider whether a hospital in Galveston, Texas -- closed temporarily after damage from Hurricane Ike -- will remain shuttered. At the organization's annual meeting July 6-8 in San Antonio, about 1,200 Shriners will vote whether to close hospitals in Shreveport, La. In 2007, the fraternal group was hit with accusations it used money intended for the hospitals to throw parties -- but only a fraction of the hospitals' funds are raised by the group. "He didn't immediately return a call Wednesday seeking comment on his reported ouster, though Brown said the group frequently changes leadership at its annual meeting.Using an annual $2 member assessment, the Shriners Hospitals system opened in 1922 with a facility in Shreveport, Louisiana, that specialized in treating polio. The group's director says it's the only viable option. It would have a diminished operation but closing the hospital is not planned, the two Shriners said. Shriners consider closing some hospitals. ; Erie, Pa.; Spokane, Wash.; Springfield, Mass., and Greenville. Squirrel tests positive for the bubonic plague in Colorado. The group will vote this summer on the closures. "I've collected $92 dollars in two days," said Brooklynn Myers, 14, who received scoliosis treatment at the Shriners' Greenville hospital. SAN ANTONIO -- For generations, children with clubbed feet, severe burns and other debilitating injuries have been treated for free at Shriners hospitals. Jul 14, 10:34 AM. None of the decisions, however, is binding until the convention ends Thursday. "Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Last month, the Shiners' board of trustees voted to close four of the group's eight research centers and lay off about 40 people at its administrative office.

They are considering permanently closing a quarter of the hospital system's facilities, among other changes.In initial votes, the Shriners agreed to keep all 22 of their hospitals open and to begin accepting insurance money for some services. Dividends and interest from the group's endowment began withering even before the recent recession hammered them with investment losses. The system would shed around 225 hospital beds with the closures, according to data from Shriners hospitals Web sites. Semb said this year's operating budget for the hospital system is $856 million. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please Melania's ex-friend: Trump family tainted by 'deceit, deception'Barr’s removal of career national security official, before election, raises concernsHundreds of protesters gather against new flu vaccine mandate in Massachusetts Donations leveled off a decade ago, and membership has declined to less than half of what it was 30 years ago.The hospital system has been running at a loss since 2001, and the endowment is now hemorrhaging cash at $1 million a day, meaning the entire system could collapse in a matter of years if something isn't done, Semb said.The board of trustees proposed closing hospitals in Shreveport; Greenville; Erie, Pa.; Spokane, Wash.; Springfield, Mass. The Galveston facility has been closed since Hurricane Ike last year.Semb said he would like to see a compromise, perhaps giving the six facilities several months to find partnerships or other financial arrangements.He said the Shriners are also considering allowing their hospitals to accept medical insurance payments and bill insurance providers for whatever treatment would normally be covered if a child's family agrees, but any additional treatments prescribed by Shriners doctors would still be done for free.A group of staffers and patients from the Galveston hospital handed out pamphlets at the Shriners meeting, arguing that Semb and the trustees used Hurricane Ike as an excuse to keep the facility closed. "For me, it's all family and home. By the 1960s, the group had hospitals nationwide and expanded its care to include spinal cord injury rehabilitation, cleft lip and palate care and medical research. "I know the wonders they can do for kids," said Gordon Pranger, 35, who was treated at the hospital after suffering third-degree burns over his entire body at age 14. "Me and my mom feel like it's heartbreaking we'd have to drive all the way to Lexington (Kentucky) and we've made special bonds here." Widely known today for burn and orthopedic care for children, the Shriners Hospitals system opened in 1922 with a facility in Shreveport, La., that specialized in treating polio.


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