Burn survivor Sunday celebration marks commitment to burn care and burn awareness

By Erin Lucero
Office of Development, School of Medicine

The Evans-Haynes Burn Center at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical College of Virginia Hospitals, in cooperation with the Old Dominion Professional Firefighters Burn Foundation, will host "Burn Survivor Sunday," to kick off National Burn Awareness Week, Feb. 6-11. The celebration will take place on Feb. 6 from 1-5 p.m. at the Larrick Student Center, located on the MCV Campus at 641 N. Eighth St.

Former patients of the Evans-Haynes Burn Center and their families are invited to celebrate with physicians and nurses from MCV Hospitals as well as local firefighters. The celebration will include stories from burn survivors, fire and safety information and children’s activities.

"This yearly event marks the celebration of survivorship -- individually for our patients and communally for the entire burn care team," said Jay A. Yelon, D.O., director of the Evans-Haynes Burn Center. "The Evans-Haynes Burn Center continues to be dedicated to the complete care of these highly specialized patients. As we move into a new millennium, the burn center will be at the forefront of innovative and modern burn care."

The Evans-Haynes Burn Center was established in 1947 as the first civilian burn unit in the country. With a multi-disciplinary approach to burn care, each year the center treats about 400 patients, whose injuries range from smoke inhalation to electrical and chemical burns.

The Burn Survivor Sunday celebration is free. Parking is available at no charge in VCU’s Q Lot, located at Ninth and Leigh streets. For more information, call (804) 828-9240.