This month, Child magazine released the results of its survey to identify the top 10 pediatric hospitals in the country. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta ranks sixth.

Four specialty programs at Children’s, including the AFLAC Cancer Center & Blood Disorders Service, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the Orthopedics Program and the Sibley Heart Center, ranked among the top five nationwide.

“Children’s is honored to be recognized as one of the nation’s leading pediatric health care organizations,” said James E. Tally, Ph.D., president and CEO of Children’s. “This ranking is truly a credit to the dedicated team of physicians, nurses and staff.”

To learn more about the survey, see www.child.com.

NURSING SCHOLARSHIP: Lucy N. Marion, dean of the Medical College of Georgia School of Nursing, has joined about 30 family members to establish an endowment in her aunt’s honor.

The Emily Flanders Nairn Endowment will fund scholarships for MCG graduate nursing students interested in treating addictions of any kind, including smoking, alcohol and other drugs. Nairn, a 95- year-old resident of McRae, served as a nurse in hospitals and nursing homes in Telfair County until her 70s. She had a strong interest in helping others to overcome addictions.

For information on how to contribute to the endowment, contact Betty Meehan, director of development for the School of Nursing, at 706-721-4837.

COPPAGE SCHOLARS: DeKalb Medical Center has announced the winners of the 2004 Dr. Mark Coppage Nursing Scholarship Awards.

The 2004 Coppage Scholar is Zabrinia Fisher, a Georgia State University student. Also receiving scholarships are Jennifer Brooke Snellgrove, Clayton College & State University; Ashley Marass, Georgia State University; Kyla Czerwonka, Kennesaw State University; Milkiya Franklin, Augusta State University; Courtney Haskins, Georgia Baptist College of Nursing; Claudette Knibb-Hamilton, Gordon College; Raymond Knight, Georgia Baptist College of Nursing; Ruth Neeman, Georgia State University; and Dahnide Taylor, Georgia Baptist College of Nursing.

The scholarship was established 10 years ago to honor anesthesiologist Mark Coppage, who died in an auto accident. More than 80 scholarships have been awarded.

EMORY PROFESSORSHIP: Sarah Freeman, Ph.D., ARNP, FAANP, has been appointed to the Betty Tigner Turner Professorship in Nursing at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. The professorship was established this year to honor excellence in teaching and care in the areas of family, community and public health.

Freeman is director of the school’s Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and the Women’s Health/ Adult Nurse Practitioner programs and a clinical professor in the department of Family and Community Nursing, teaching in the areas of women’s health, bioethics and primary care.

Turner, a 1953 graduate of the school and former president of the Emory Nurses Alumni Association, practiced as a public health nurse with the DeKalb County Health Department and Martha Jefferson Hospital in Virginia. The endowmment was established in her memory by her husband, Dr. John Turner, a retired otolaryngologist and graduate of Emory School of Medicine, and her three daughters.

COASTAL CONFERENCE: The Nurce Practitioner Council of Coastal Georgia will hold its annual conference March 11-12 at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah. Presentations on clinical, legislative and professional topics will include a variety of speakers. Barbara Safriet, associate dean of the Yale Law School, will give the luncheon keynote address.

For information and registration, go to www.npcouncilofcoastalga.org.

HEART-FELT GIFT: Piedmont Hospital donated funding for 68 automated external defibrillators to be installed at each of the city of Atlanta’s recreation centers. Mayor Shirley Franklin accepted the gift from Piedmont Hospital president and CEO Robert Maynard at a Jan. 7 ceremony to kick off Piedmont’s 100th anniversary year.

“We are celebrating our 100th anniversary of service this year, and we have chosen to make this gift as one way to give back to the Atlanta community for its tremendous support of the hospital over the years,” Maynard said. “We hope the donation of the AEDs will help the city of Atlanta provide the best and safest service possible for residents throughout the city.”

PIEDMONT PATHFINDERS: If you’re outgoing and enjoy helping others, Piedmont Hospital wants you. Piedmont needs 80 volunteers for its Piedmont Pathfinders program to help patients and visitors reach their destinations on the hospital campus.

Volunteers must be able to work a minimum of two, four-hour shifts per month, for at least six months. They should be 17 or older, work well on a team and be in good physical condition. Women volunteers will receive membership in the Piedmont Hospital Woman’s Auxiliary.

Piedmont Pathfinders complements the hospital greeters program, which helps about 15,000 Piedmont visitors and patients each month with directions, escorts and other assistance. For information, call program coordinator Bob Marks at 404-605- 4633.

NEW SERVICES: The imaging center of DeKalb Medical Center’s new 100-bed hospital at Hillandale in south DeKalb County opened Jan. 3.

Featuring all-digital imaging services, the new outpatient imaging center will bring services previously not available in south DeKalb, including MRI, CT and interventional radiology. Also offered will be diagnostic radiology, EKG/EEG, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, nuclear medicine and echocardiography.

Other departments will follow with the hospital’s grand opening this July.