Stanford Facts: Medical Center

The Stanford Medical Center

The Stanford Medical Center includes the Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford Hospital and Clinics and the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

One of the major goals of the Stanford University Medical Center is to translate research and clinical insights into practical advances that enhance and prolong life, reflecting the promise “from bench to bedside and back again.”

The Stanford Medical Center is well known for its breakthrough technologies and treatments, including the first synthesis of biologically active DNA in a test tube, the first construction of a recombinant DNA molecule containing DNA from two different species, discovery of immune response genes and development of the microarray technology that allows researchers to see at once which genes of the thousands present in a cell are switched “on.”

Stanford Hospital and Clinics

Stanford Hospital and Clinics is a university-owned, nonprofit corporation known for advanced patient care. As the primary teaching hospital for the School of Medicine, the hospital has pioneered medical advances, including the first successful adult human heart transplant in the country and the first combined heart/lung transplant in the world.

In fiscal year 2007, Stanford Hospital and Clinics had 613 licensed beds and 36 operating rooms. It had a medical staff of 1,884, a house staff of 906 interns and residents, and a nursing staff of 1,630 RNs, 18 LVNs and 195 nursing assistants. There were 23,137 inpatient admissions and 44,080 emergency patient visits. There were 432,002 clinic outpatient visits. Volunteers committed about 142,895 hours of service.

Stanford Hospital and Clinics includes the Stanford Health Library, which is a free community service. The library, available in the Stanford Shopping Center and over the Internet, provides scientifically based medical information to help people make informed decisions.

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital

Ranked as one of the best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford is a 264-bed hospital devoted to the care of children and expectant mothers. Providing pediatric and obstetric medical and surgical services and associated with the Stanford School of Medicine, Packard Children’s offers patients locally, regionally and nationally the full range of health-care programs and services from preventive and routine care to the diagnosis and treatment of serious illness and injury.

The hospital’s relationship to Stanford University and its Silicon Valley location give Packard Children’s the ability to leverage leading-edge technology to improve every aspect of patient care. From the development of new vaccines and devices for cardiac intervention to breakthroughs in gene therapy, research leaders at Packard Children’s are improving the future of medicine every day.

In 2006, Packard Children’s had 264 licensed beds, a medical staff of 962 and 2,462 employees. Additionally, the hospital had 78,177 patient days, 13,265 patient discharges and 105,837 clinic visits. There are 800 volunteers and 1,500 auxiliary members. Packard Children’s also has extensive outreach and clinical services throughout Northern California and the Western region, such as the Mobile Adolescent Health Services Program, which provides comprehensive exams and free medications for homeless and uninsured youths and young adults. Visit http://www.lpch.org for more information.

Stanford University School of Medicine

The Stanford School of Medicine is a premier research-intensive medical school that improves health through leadership and collaborative discoveries and innovation in patient care, education and research (see page 28). Among the interdisciplinary programs and facilities engaged in the two-way transfer of ideas between laboratories and patient-care settings are: