Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children & Denver Zoo Announce Mascot Contest Winner

DENVER, June 30 /PRNewswire/ — Denver Zoo and HealthONE’s Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children (RMHC) revealed today Denver’s newest mascot, Jack, the Rocky Mountain river otter. Jack, named after Dr. Jack Chang, is the official animal mascot of the new pediatric hospital.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090630/LA40461)

Dr. Chang is a pediatric and neonatal surgeon, retired from active medical practice, was among a group of pediatric physicians, pediatric sub-specialists and pediatric surgeons who moved their practices to Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center (P/SL) nearly 20 years ago. He and his colleagues established a regionally renowned center there caring for high-risk births, neonates, infants, children and teens. That pediatric center has grown and is now named Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at P/SL.

River otter Jack was elected from a list of five species finalists represented at the zoo: a mountain lion, a grizzly bear, a red panda, a penguin and a Rocky Mountain river otter. Members of the Denver metro community voted during a month-long online contest for their favorite animal to be RMHC’s mascot.

The animals waged competitive campaigns, and the final tally was so close that the votes from the children who attended RMHC’s neonatal intensive care reunion at the Denver Zoo on May 16 tipped the scales in favor of our winner.

“It’s definitely the wildest campaign we’ve ever seen. It’s amazing to see so many people follow the campaign and to see the election strategy that the candidates used. I thought it would come down to the wire and it did!” says Matt Sogard, Chief Operating Officer for RMHC.

Denver Zoo is proud to partner with HealthONE’s RMHC. We welcome you to visit Jack’s brother and sister otters, Ariel and Otto at Denver Zoo. Jack will begin visiting kids at all HealthONE hospitals in coming months.

About Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children: Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center (P/SL) has been helping families from across the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains for nearly 20 years with specialized children’s medical services. Construction is under way for a state-of-the-art facility on P/SL’s campus at 20th and High Street in Denver. The Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at P/SL will move into its new home in 2010.

Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children is an important expansion of HealthONE’s current pediatric services available at each of its acute care hospitals. Other HealthONE hospitals will become affiliates of Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, ensuring the same high quality of pediatric care at each location. Some will have pediatric multi-specialty centers bringing pediatric specialty doctors directly to the community for the convenience of families who live in the surrounding areas. Visit www.RockyMountainHospitalforChildren.com for all your child’s needs.

About Denver Zoo: Denver Zoo is home to 3,500 animals representing more than 650 species and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and accreditation by AZA assures that an institution is meeting the highest standards of animal care. Since 1996, Denver Zoo has been involved in 495 conservation and research projects in 53 countries. In 2008 alone, Denver Zoo was involved in 94 projects in 28 countries on five continents. Visit the Denver Zoo web site at www.denverzoo.org.

SOURCE HealthONE