Helping parents with small questions pays big dividends for a major children’s hospital.

Current case studies rarely cite program development initiatives that date back 14 years, but the longevity of the St. Louis Children’s Answer Line success speaks to the strength of the program’s early strategy, philosophy and operating principles. Founded in late 1989, the Answer Line grew out of a traditional physician referral service that provided parents with little more than phone numbers of pediatricians near their homes. Responding to parents’ requests for convenient, reliable advice on a variety of child health issues, St. Louis Children’s Hospital diverted existing marketing dollars that had been used to fund image advertising into development of a service that would position the institution as the source for answers to pediatric health questions.

During the first year of operation, calls to the former physician referral line increased more than 10-fold and referrals to affiliated pediatricians jumped 300%. Today, the Answer Line handles more than 100,000 calls each year and has expanded to include an after-hours nurse triage service for pediatric practices.

Answer Line Manager Julie Bruns comments, “Burl Stamp had the vision to see the potential of the Answer Line when he began it in 1989. For nearly 15 years, the service has created visibility for St. Louis Children’s Hospital and has provided a valuable service for parents in our community. Chances are, most parents in the ST. Louis area would immediately recognize our phone number – 454-KIDS – and say that our nurses helped them raise their kids.”