Shriners Children's Opens Outpatient Clinic in Guadalajara, Mexico

Shriners Children's has opened a new outpatient clinic in Guadalajara, Mexico - the fourth clinic to open in the country. Conveniently located inside the reputable Hospital Angeles del Carmen, the clinic will provide much-needed pediatric orthopedic care to children from Jalisco and surrounding states, eliminating costly, time-consuming travel to Shriners Children's Mexico in Mexico City.

"This is an enormous advancement for Shriners Children's in Mexico," said clinic manager Omar Cardenas Magaña, M.D. "Providing care regardless of a family's ability to pay will make a big difference in the lives of these children."

Local dignitaries, media, patient ambassadors and Shriners from across Mexico and beyond attended the news conference and ribbon-cutting ceremony before touring the brand new facility. In their remarks to the audience and local media, Briana and Juan Pablo, both patient ambassadors from Guadalajara, expressed gratitude to Shriners Children's for helping them heal and pursue their dreams.

"When I was 2 years old, I was in a car accident and lost my right leg and part of my left foot," Briana told the overflow crowd. "When I was 4 years old, I became a patient at Shriners Children's Mexico. Through many surgeries, physical therapy and prosthetics they helped me become a decorated para-athlete, winning many international swimming competitions."

In addition to a large, freestanding hospital in Mexico City, Shriners Children's now has outpatient clinics in Tijuana, Monterrey, Culiacán and Guadalajara. Plans are underway to construct a fifth clinic in the northern city of Chihuahua later this year. Adding new access points is part of Shriners Children's international strategy to care for more children in more places, closer to their homes.