Advocate of equitable and excellent care for Minnesota’s children is honored

A constant push to do better is a key reason Dr. Marc Gorelick was honored with the prestigious Walter Ramsey Award.

“When it comes to caring for children, good enough is never good enough,” said Gorelick who served more than 7 years as President and CEO of Children’s Minnesota and more than 42 years in medicine. “There are always ways we can make their care safer, more timely, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered.”

Gorelick was honored at Children’s Hospital Association’s Golden Key Gala, which nearly doubled its fundraising goal of $60,000 and raised $118,518 at the event in October. The Walter Ramsey Award recognizes a professional who has given their life’s work to the service of others making a marked impact in pediatric health care and who embodies the Children’s Hospital Association’s core values of integration, innovation, impact, and involvement.

“Dr. Ramsey started the first Children’s Hospital in St. Paul in 1924 at a time when not everyone agreed that children needed their own medical facility,” said Gorelick. “He was a visionary about children having their own unique health needs, and being honored in his name is extraordinary.”

The award called out Gorelick’s transformative leadership that modernized Children’s Minnesota into the comprehensive pediatric system it is today. Investment in technology to improve care delivery and access was noted.

An example is a state-of-the-art neurosurgery suite in Minneapolis, one of only two in the world, equipped with an intraoperative MRI. “It allows us to operate on a child while using MRI imaging to make sure we’re getting the results we want,” Gorelick described.

Children’s Minnesota is consistently honored, including being ranked by U.S. News & World Report, achieving the prestigious Magnet® redesignation for nursing, being the first in Minnesota to earn Level I Children's Surgery Center verification, and leading innovative clinical trials, showcasing excellence in patient care, safety, and specialized treatment for children, among other attributes.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Gorelick rose to the occasion, leading through incredible uncertainty while also making sure to protect patients and staff. “It was about having the humility to know what we didn’t know and the flexibility to change as we needed,” Gorelick recalled. “But always, at the forefront, was doing what’s best for kids and families.”

Gorelick said the Children’s Minnesota pillar of doing the best for all kids became even more evident after the murder of George Floyd.

“I’ve practiced pediatric emergency medicine for 25 years, and it gave me a front row seat to disparities and inequities in society,” Gorelick said. “There is a growing body of evidence that a workforce that reflects the community it serves turns into fewer disparities and better outcomes for all. George Floyd’s killing showed us areas where we didn’t have an equitable society.”

Recipients of the Walter Ramsey Award are champions of the programs and services that improved the continuum of care at Children’s Minnesota. For Gorelick, the award is the cherry on top of the legacy he and other recipients leave behind.

“I’m proud that Children’s is a place that is solely dedicated to kids,” Gorelick said. “From infancy to young adulthood, it’s a place committed to being there for every child.”