Shriners Children's Twin Cities Joins with Blank Children's Hospital to Provide Specialty Orthopaedic Care

Shriners Children's Twin Cities is joining together with Blank Children’s Hospital  to provide pediatric orthopaedic care to the children in Central Iowa.

The new Blank Children’s Orthopaedic Clinic will be a full-time clinic located on the Blank Children’s Hospital campus. Physicians for this clinic will be provided by Shriners Children’s and will provide a wide range of pediatric orthopaedic services, including care for fractures, hip dysplasia, spine conditions, cerebral palsy and issues that arise due to gait abnormality. Blank Children’s Orthopaedic Clinic is scheduled to open late October 2020 and will begin accepting patient appointments immediately.

“We are very pleased to join with Shriners Children’s to bring nationally-recognized pediatric orthopaedic specialty care right here to Central Iowa,” said Steve Stephenson, M.D., president and chief operating officer for Blank Children’s Hospital. “Ensuring high-quality specialty care to children is our mission, and establishing this new clinic enables us to meet a critical need for children here in Central Iowa and across our state.”

The senior pediatric orthopaedic physician for this clinic is Lael M. Luedtke, M.D. Dr. Luedtke graduated from Williams College and completed medical school at the University of Minnesota. She continued her medical training as a resident in orthopaedic surgery and fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Luedtke’s special interests include cerebral palsy, limb deficiency, patellofemoral pain and childhood obesity. She brings 26 years of pediatric orthopaedic experience with her to this clinic.

Shannon B. O'Brien, M.D., will join Dr. Luedtke as the second physician in the practice. Dr. O'Brien has been practicing in orthopaedics for 18 years and her special interests include fractures, skeletal dysplasia, correction of angular abnormalities and scoliosis. She graduated from Eastern Michigan University and completed medical school at University of Louisville School of Medicine. Dr. O’Brien continued her medical training as a resident in orthopaedic surgery at University of Louisville and fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Should children come to the clinic with conditions beyond the scope of the clinic physician, such as a complex spine issue or even something non-orthopaedic, but within the scope of care at Shriners Children’s, they may be referred to an appropriate Shriners Hospitals facility, such as the Twin Cities, Chicago or St. Louis locations. 

“We at Shriners Children’s are excited and energized by this opportunity to work closely together with Blank Children’s Hospital. Each of our health care organizations have unique capabilities that, when joined in collaboration, allow us to reach and serve more children. When children have access to outstanding orthopaedic care and treatment, our communities are better for it,” said Drew Graul, corporate administrator at Shriners Children’s.

About Blank Children’s Hospital:

Blank Children’s Hospital is committed to family-centered healing, caring and teaching. With hundreds of doctors, nurses and staff who care for patients from before birth through adolescence, Blank Children’s is a hospital unlike any other. The number of medical specialists, programs and services is constantly growing to improve care and meet the changing health needs of children and families. Blank Children’s Hospital is a provider-based facility of Iowa Methodist Medical Center.