With an expert cardiac transplant team standing by and one patient waiting for a heart, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital achieved an extraordinary milestone last month. Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, the leading Children’s Hospital in Broward and Palm Beach, received federal approval from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) to launch a pediatric heart transplant program, clearing the path for pediatric cardiac surgeons to perform the first heart transplant in the history of the hospital on Dec. 15.
“This is a momentous occasion for our team, but it’s also great news for our surrounding communities and the patients and families we have the pleasure to serve,” said Frank Scholl, M.D., chief of pediatric cardiac surgery at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. “The establishment of this program is truly an advancement in medical care in this community, and one that will impact the lives of many children and families in years to come.”
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Heart Transplant Program is one of only two programs in South Florida, an area that serves close to 1.5 million children. There are now a total of four pediatric heart transplant centers in Florida: Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg and Shands Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville. With this new program in Broward County, many families will benefit by having a specialized team closer to home. Prior to federal approval, statistics showed that a large number of children did not have sufficient access to heart transplant services, and many had to seek services outside South Florida and even out of state.
The approval of the program is the culmination of years of strategic planning, including the formation of a pediatric cardiac transplant team with the right mix of expertise and compassion.
Dr. Scholl, together with Maryanne Chrisant, M.D., who was hired in 2010 as the medical director of the pediatric heart transplant team, and Chris Mashburn, RN, who serves as the director of clinical programs and lead transplant coordinator, form the core of the transplant team.
“This is a comprehensive team effort,” Chrisant said. “This child is doing well because of the amazing efforts and expertise of nurses, intensivists, perfusionists and laboratory medicine – all levels of patient care.”
