MIAMI CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL HIGHLIGHTS
• In 2007 Miami Children’s Hospital (MCH) was ranked among the nation’s top pediatric hospitals by U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals” issue. Miami Children's was listed 26 among the top 30 hospitals in the country and is the only pediatric hospital from Florida to be included on the list.
• Child magazine ranked Miami Children’s Hospital (MCH) 26 nationally, making MCH the only children’s hospital in South Florida to make the list. In addition, the Miami Children’s Hospital Emergency Department was ranked 10 nationally in the “Emergency Care” subspecialty list. MCH is the only emergency department from Florida to be included.
• Annually recognized by South Florida Parenting and its readers since 1997. In 2007, the hospital was awarded “The Best of Best, Hall of Fame Kids' Crown Award" for "Best Hospital for Pediatrics in Miami-Dade County," The MCH Dan Marino Center also received "gold" recognition for "Best Neurological Evaluation.”
• Received “Magnet” designation – the nursing profession's highest institutional honor – from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) in July 2003. Miami Children’s Hospital was the first children’s hospital in Florida and the fifth children’s hospitals in the country to achieve this distinction.
• Features 289 pediatric and neonatal beds, more than any other children's hospital in Florida
• Offers more than 40 pediatric specialties and subspecialties
• Largest children’s cancer center in the state
• Is home to South Florida's only free-standing pediatric trauma center
• MCH is the number one provider of pediatric orthopaedics in the state
• The MCH Congenital Heart Institute boasts one of the top five programs in the United States based on volume and clinical outcomes
• Serves as the state-designated treatment center for children with craniofacial differences
• The Neonatology Division admits more than 900 newborns each year virtually all referred from general acute-care hospitals. The babies that are referred are in need of an advanced level of tertiary care that is provided at MCH.
• Is home to the largest hospital - based pediatric residency program in the southeastern United States
• Pioneered the world’s first Ventilator Assisted Children’s Center Camp to provide fun and new experiences for ventilation-assisted children. The concept has since been duplicated in dozens of other communities. The hospital also hosts several other summer camps for children with special needs.
• The MCH Preventive Medicine Division hosted the first Youth Leadership Conference on Health
• First hospital in the United States to host Radio Lollipop®, an in-house radio station providing entertainment for hospitalized children
• First hospital in Florida to introduce Big Apple Circus® Clown Care program to enhance patient care
• First Child Life Program in South Florida. The Child Life specialists are non-medical members of a medical care team. They serve as advisors, teachers and sources of comfort, helping both child and family gain greater understanding of medical procedures, thus reducing stress and fear of the unknown.
CLINICAL FIRSTS AT MIAMI CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
• Performed the world’s first non-surgical tricuspid heart valve replacement
• First hospital in Florida to successfully separate conjoined twins
• The MCH Brain Institute is the nation’s first comprehensive medical program dedicated solely to the pediatric neurosciences. The MCH Brain Institute is the largest clinical neurology practice in the nation, providing treatment to over 45,000 children per year.
• First hospital in the United States and the Americas to use the Helex Septal Occluder to treat atrial septal defects (ASD), a common congenital heart defect and first hospital in the southeast to obtain permission for “compassionate use” of the AMPLATZER® Muscular VSD Occluder, a device to close a hole between the two lower chambers of a child's heart (ventricle septal defect)
• First pediatric cardiac intensive care unit in the southeastern United States
• Performed world's first endoscopic ventricular thrombectomy
• Performed world's first extracardiac Fontan operation that did not require cardiopulmonary bypass
• One of only 10 centers nationwide selected to participate in the clinical trial of CardioSEAL, a revolutionary closure device to be used in treating children with Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)
• First and most experienced neonatal Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) program available in the State of Florida
• Performed first reconstruction surgery for brachial plexus injuries in the southeastern United States
• Performed first repair of pectus excavatum in the southeastern United States
• Founded the Pediatric Post Graduate Course (PPGC), now in its 42nd year. The PPGC is one of the most prestigious and well-established independent continuing medical education programs in the United States
• First hospital in the nation to use I-Rounds™, a web-based information system that allows physicians and other healthcare personnel to track all aspects of patient care in the Intensive Care Unit with web pages accessed via the Intranet or the Internet
• First pediatric hospital in the nation to use Bridge Medical Inc.'s barcode-assisted medication administration system to enhance patient safety
• First in South Florida to provide mobile health units offering preventive care to uninsured children. Since its inception in 1995, the “Health on Wheels” mobile units have administered tens of thousands of immunizations, tuberculosis tests, and hearing and vision screenings. The Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation recently received a $3 million grant to support this effort.