Shriners of Newfoundland and Labrador Canada -

Forty years after opening its first orthopaedic Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children, the Shrine of North America became aware of another enemy of children - the severe burn. Each year, thousands of children are crippled, disfigured or killed by what has been called one of the largest hazards of childhood. Recognizing the lack of medical expertise at the time in the burn care field, the Shrine of North America opened its three Shriners Burns Institutes in the mid-1960s, each with the three-fold purpose of treating children, conducting burn research and training medical personnel in the treatment of burn injuries.

The Shriners Burn Institutes are located in Boston, Cincinnati and Galveston. Since the Shrine first made a commitment to advance burn treatment by opening these institutes, a burned child's chances for survival has more than doubled. Today, the Shriners Burns Institutes remain pioneers in burn treatment. These institutes are actively involved in the development of artificial skin and many other major advancements that will continue to revolutionize the way burn patients will be treated in the future.

Shriners Burns Institutes are staffed and equipped to treat: children with acute, fresh burns; children needing plastic reconstructive or restorative surgery as a result of healed burns; children with severe scarring, resulting in contractures or interference with proper mobility of the limbs; and patients with scaring and deformity of the face.