News

Peel Health Campus backs research into kid’s genetics

Aug 15, 2020

Genetic disorders account for 30 per cent of all paediatric hospital admissions across the health system, according to the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI).

So it may come as no surprise that staff at Peel Health Campus (PHC) feel passionately about medical research in this area.

Peel Health Campus, which is part of Ramsay Health Care, has been supporting ‘Jeans for Genes Day’ for the past seven years raising thousands of dollars for paediatric research into generic disorders.

While most children are born healthy, we know that one in 20 children – or the equivalent of one child in every classroom, is born with a defective gene.

PHC Paediatric Nurse Manager, Deb Carruthers, knows firsthand the importance of this kind of research.

“In the 30 years I have been nursing, there have been some incredible developments in the area of paediatric medical research,” Deb said.

“Take for example cystic fibrosis. In the 1980s the life expectancy for children born with the defective gene for cystic fibrosis was between teenage years and their early 20s. 

“In 2020 it is predicted that children born with cystic fibrosis can survive into their 50s and this figure continues to change as researchers discover new treatments and medications.”

Founded in 1994, Jeans for Genes raises funds for the CMRI.

Every August, more than one million people wear jeans to work and donate funds for medical research.

Every dollar raised directly helps researchers at CMRI discover treatments and cures for childhood diseases, such as cancer, birth defects, genetic diseases and debilitating neurological disorders, like epilepsy and autism.

Jeans for Genes is just one of 15 causes supported by Peel Health Campus every year – either through direct sponsorships or fundraising initiatives.