Pediatric craniofacial, endocrinology, gastroenterology, neurology and orthopedic specialists to deliver medical care
MIAMI, FL (February 16, 2010) – Miami Children’s Hospital announced this week that it will open the first Nicklaus Care Center in Palm Beach County in 2010. The Miami Children’s Hospital Nicklaus Care Center will deliver medical care from pediatric craniofacial, endocrinology, gastroenterology, neurology and orthopedic specialists to a stand-alone clinic at a to-be-announced location in Palm Beach County.
With support from the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, medical specialists from the not-for-profit Hospital will offer new options to Palm Beach County area families with children who have special medical needs.
“No matter where a family lives, it is difficult to care for a child with a serious illness, birth defect, or injury,” said M. Narendra Kini, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Miami Children’s Hospital. “Children are not miniature adults. Customizing health care for children-from diagnosis of worrisome symptoms to emotional support-is important to achieving better patient outcomes. These children often require multiple, specialty-trained doctors to help maintain quality of life.”
Families in Palm Beach County face a unique challenge, as specialty-trained doctors and hospitals equipped to care for children with special medical needs are spread throughout South Florida. Transporting a child to medical appointments and managing life during treatment far from home puts a strain on parents’ work schedules, caring for other children and, ultimately, a family’s quality of life.
The need for pediatric health care services in Palm Beach County is increasing at an accelerated pace. Indicators show that the population growth for children living in Palm Beach County, age 18 and under, will continue to surpass the rate of growth for South Florida through 2012.
“For the past several years, the Foundation has explored options to expand its impact and further advance the health care needs of children,” said Barbara Nicklaus, chairman of the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation Board of Directors. “The Miami Children’s Hospital Palm Beach County project is a great fit for our Foundation’s vision, and they have our full support.”
The Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation mission is to provide support for activities that advance and enhance the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of childhood diseases and disorders. In addition, the Foundation supports not-for-profit programs and projects aimed at children’s health, safety, and well-being.
“Our family’s passion to help children is what originally led us to create the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation,” said Jack Nicklaus, honorary chairman of the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation Board of Directors. “Our purpose is very simple: to help kids in the community where Barbara and I, and now our children and their children, have lived and worked for decades.”
About Miami Children’s Hospital
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Miami Children’s Hospital® is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with more than 650 attending physicians and over 130 pediatric sub-specialists. The 289-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with several specialty programs ranked among the best in the nation in 2008 and 2009 by U.S. News & World Report. The hospital is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession’s most prestigious institutional honor.
About Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation
The Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation focused on providing charitable support to organizations and initiatives that advance and enhance the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of childhood diseases and disorders.
The Foundation supports not-for-profit programs and projects aimed at pediatric health care and health-related services. In addition, the Foundation supports not-for-profit programs and projects aimed at children’s health, safety and well-being in five Florida counties: Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee and Indian River.
For more information, visit www.nchcf.org.
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