Frequently Asked Questions About Shriners
Q. What is total Shrine membership in North America?
A. More than 200,000
Q. How Many Shrine Temples are there?
A. There are 198 Shrine Temples, or chapters, throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Republic of Panama.
Q. What was the first Shrine Temple?
A. Mecca Shriners, which was organized in New York City in 1872
Q. When did the first Shriners Hospital open, and where is it located?
A. In 1922, in Shreveport, LA
Q. Where are the burn Shriners Hospitals located, and when did they open?
A. Galveston, Texas, in 1966; Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1968; Boston, Massachusetts, in 1968: and Sacramento, California, in 1997.
Q. What the purpose of Shriners Hospitals for Children?
A. Shriners Hospitals have a three-fold purpose:
- TREATMENT: To save children’s lives and restore their bodies to the highest level of usefulness
- RESEARCH: TO conduct research into orthopaedic and burn care
- EDUCATION: To train physicians and other medical professionals in the treatment of orthopaedic disabilities and burn injuries
Q. How much does it cost for a child to receive care at the Shriners Hospitals?
A. Nothing. All care and services provided at Shriners Hospitals regardless of the families’ ability to pay.
Q. Where does the money come from to operate the 22 Shriners Hospitals?
A. Gifts, bequests, income from the endowment fund, hospital fund-raising events, and the annual assessment paid by every Shriner.
Q. Where are the Shrine’s three Spinal Cord Injury Centers?
A. Philadelphia, Pa. (opened in 1980); Chicago, Ill. (opened in 1983); and Sacramento, Calif. (originally opened in San Francisco in 1984).
Q. Up to what age children admitted to Shriners Hospitals for Children?
A. Up to their 18th birthday
Q. What is the average length of stay at the Shriners hospitals?
A. 5.3 days