Because of its reputation for excellence, St. Louis Children’s Hospital often receives requests from local, national and international media seeking expert commentary on current trends in pediatric medicine, information on the latest research and technology, or inspirational stories about the young patients in our care.
To request an interview with a physician or a patient family at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, please call 314.454.6000 and ask the operator to page the media relations representative on-call. The media relations team will work quickly to accommodate your request.
A member of the media relations team will help you navigate the hospital campus by helping identify physicians, staff or families appropriate for your story; identify the appropriate clinic space, outdoor location or conference room to conduct your interview; and coordinating any necessary photo or b-roll shoots at the hospital.
We require that any journalist and/or news photographer visiting the hospital be escorted by a member of the media relations team while on the hospital campus.
Additionally, we request that references to the hospital include the hospital’s full name, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and that interviews arranged through the St. Louis Children’s Hospital media team identify the subject by their St. Louis Children’s Hospital title and, when possible, the physician’s Washington University School of Medicine title.
To protect patient privacy under the HIPAA law, the media relations team is only authorized to release a one-word patient condition without signed consent, provided the requesting reporter has the patient’s first and last name, and provided the family has not opted out of the hospital directory.
The following are the official hospital conditions, as defined by HIPAA:
Undetermined – Patient awaiting physician assessment.
Good – Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious and comfortable. Indicators are excellent.
Fair – Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious, but may be uncomfortable. Indicators are favorable.
Serious – Vital signs may be unstable and not within normal limits. Patient is acutely ill. Indicators are questionable.
Critical – Vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. Patient may be unconscious. Indicators are unfavorable.
Additionally, we require the parent of any patient under 18, or a patient who is over 18, to sign a consent/photo release form before granting an interview, releasing medical information, or being photographed.
