/ en Fri, 25 Apr 2025 22:50:52 -0500 Wed, 23 Apr 25 15:04:40 -0500 /news/headline/2025-04-23-cdc-us-birth-rate-1-2024 <p>U.S. births grew 1% in 2024 to 3.6 million, according to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr038.pdf">preliminary data</a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cesarean delivery rate slightly increased to 32.4% in 2024, from 32.3% in 2023. The 2024 preterm birth rate was 10.41%, unchanged from 2023.</p> Wed, 23 Apr 2025 15:04:40 -0500 Child and Adolescent Health /role-hospitals-arkansas-childrens-hospital-celebrates-30-years-nutrition-research-and-innovation <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-5"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-04/ths-arkansas-childrens-nutrition-2-700x532.jpg" alt="Arkansas Children’s Hospital. A smiling young girl sits at a school dining table eating a nutritious meal" width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>The Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC) is celebrating three decades of groundbreaking research that has significantly improved the health and development of children worldwide. Established in 1994, ACNC has become a leader in pediatric and maternal nutrition research through its large-scale studies exploring how maternal diet, physical activity and early feeding practices influence a child's growth and development. "The Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center plays a critical role in defining and delivering unprecedented care for children," said Dr. Pete Mourani, senior vice president and chief research officer of ACNC.</p><p>ACNC's research approach is translational, meaning their scientists oversee studies within traditional scientific labs as well as clinical studies and trials among children and mothers. This comprehensive approach expanded understanding of the impact of different feeding types on infants’ cognition, growth and development. Additionally, ACNC has explored how nutrition and physical activity influence maternal and child metabolism and brain function during critical periods of development, including pregnancy, early childhood and pre-adolescence.</p><p>"We are proud to host community-based studies that take the best evidence we know from the lab and the clinic to real-world settings where families live, learn and play," Mourani said.</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://www.archildrens.org/news/releases/2024/acnc-celebrates-30-years-of-research" target="_blank">LEARN MORE</a></p></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/center/population-health">Improving Health and Wellness</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Wed, 16 Apr 2025 14:54:45 -0500 Child and Adolescent Health /news/headline/2025-04-07-study-finds-twins-develop-slower-early-pregnancy-previously-believed <p>The National Institutes of Health April 7 released a <a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/twins-grow-more-slowly-early-pregnancy-previously-thought">study</a> that found twins — smaller at birth on average than singletons — develop slower in early pregnancy than what was previously known. The ultrasound study found that twins have less fat tissue and muscle mass than singletons beginning at 15 weeks. Scientists believe the smaller size could be a way of adapting to accommodate more resources for two fetuses later in pregnancy. The NIH said confirmation of the findings in additional research could help guide physicians in monitoring and managing twin pregnancies.</p> Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:21:26 -0500 Child and Adolescent Health /role-hospitals-kent-hospitals-spaulding-rehabilitation-teams-offer-life-changing-health-care-patients-all-ages <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-5"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-04/ths-rhode-island-rehab-700x532.jpg" alt="Kent Hospital’s Spaulding Rehabilitation teams offer life-changing health care to patients of all ages - image of young female physical therapist working with a middle aged man who is holding light dumbells" width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>Involved in many sports and athletic activities, David played semipro football for six years but experienced several injuries and faced major health challenges beginning in 2010. He weighed 400-plus pounds and struggled walking. After having both hips replaced (eight weeks apart) in 2024, he started physical therapy at Spaulding Outpatient Centers at Kent Hospital in Rhode Island, part of Care New England. David says physical therapy has “completely changed” his life: “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOEllEWXC6g" target="_blank">It’s bright now</a> — before it was dark.”</p><p>Kent Hospital’s Spaulding Rehabilitation teams offer inpatient and outpatient services, caring for patients recovering from sports injuries, stroke, traumatic brain injury, amputations, concussions, Lyme disease, Parkinson’s disease and more. A multidisciplinary team is led by a physiatrist — a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation — and includes health professionals from physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, rehabilitation nursing, social work, neuropsychology, nutrition and respiratory therapy, depending on a patient’s needs. The team works to help patients regain strength, mobility and independence and considers patients and their family members as an integral part of the journey.</p><p>In addition, the Pawtucket, R.I., location provides a range of physical, occupational and speech therapy services for children, from newborns to teens. Therapists work closely with parents or guardians and the child’s primary care physician to assess a child’s needs and goals and create a specialized treatment program. Christine Brewster, an occupational therapist at Spaulding Pediatric Rehabilitation, says <a href="https://www.kentri.org/services/spaulding-rehab/pediatric-specialty-services" target="_blank">pediatric occupational therapy services</a> may include helping infants with feeding issues, working with toddlers to improve and refine their motor skills, and helping older children develop more sophisticated interpersonal skills to foster friendships and participation in groups and on sports teams.</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://www.kentri.org/services/spaulding-rehab" target="_blank">LEARN MORE</a></p></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/center/population-health">Improving Health and Wellness</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:17:08 -0500 Child and Adolescent Health /role-hospitals-texas-childrens-hospital-and-ut-md-anderson-cancer-center-join-forces-end-pediatric-cancer <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="col-md-6"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-03/ths-md-anderson-texas-childrens-pediatric-cancer-700x532.jpg" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="exas Children’s Hospital and UT MD Anderson Cancer Center join forces to end pediatric cancer. Female physician high-fives pediatric patient in an exam room." width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>Texas Children's Hospital and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have announced a collaboration dedicated to pediatric cancer care. The joint venture aims to unite the nation's largest comprehensive pediatric system with a leading cancer center, combining their strengths to improve outcomes for pediatric patients.</p><p> “The scope and scale of our combined effort will build the world’s preeminent pediatric cancer center, addressing the growing need for excellent patient care and greatly benefiting children with cancer through increased access to care and to clinical trials,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson.</p><p> Launching in early 2026, the collaboration will focus on creating new facilities to offer patients and their families a best-in-class healing environment with the latest medical technology. The combined patient populations of Texas Children's Hospital and MD Anderson will increase pediatric cancer clinical trials, expediting discoveries and making innovative treatments more widely available. </p><p>"This groundbreaking collaboration between two proven leaders in pediatric and cancer care marks the beginning of a new era in the fight against childhood cancer," said Debra F. Sukin, Ph.D., president and CEO of Texas Children's Hospital. The partnership will be led by top talent from both organizations, including clinicians, researchers, nurses, and administrative professionals, all committed to the shared mission of eradicating pediatric cancer.</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://www.texaschildrens.org/content/press-release/texas-childrens-hospital-and-ut-md-anderson-announce-joint-venture-end" target="_blank">LEARN MORE</a></p><p> </p></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/topics/innovation">Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Thu, 27 Mar 2025 11:27:37 -0500 Child and Adolescent Health /education-events/infancy-adolescence-supporting-youth-mental-health <p><strong>Thursday, May 29, 12 – 1 p.m. ET | 11 am – 12 p.m. CT </strong><br>Mental health conditions impact many children and their families. The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/children-mental-health/data-research/index.html">Center for Disease Control and Prevention</a> reports that anxiety, behavior disorders and depression are the most diagnosed mental conditions, impacting 1 in 7 children. Additionally, our modern world is rife with stressors that many children and their parents struggle to contend with. Yet, many children are unable to access the behavioral health care services that could support them.</p><p>This webinar will explore the mental health challenges that today’s youth face and how health care organizations can integrate behavioral health to create support systems that foster the mental well-being of children and adolescents.</p><p>Behavioral health experts from Lurie Children’s Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital will share insights on how pediatric hospitals can implement programs to address youth mental health from infancy through adolescence. </p><p><strong>Speakers:</strong></p><ul><li>John T. Walkup, M.D., chair, Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago</li><li>Thomas Saggio, RN-BC, MSN, MHS, director of Behavioral Health Operations, St. Louis Children's Hospital</li></ul><p>This webinar is open to all, and will be recorded. <br><br> </p> Thu, 20 Mar 2025 10:34:47 -0500 Child and Adolescent Health /stories/2025-03-18-one-heart-three-lives-how-duke-health-revolutionizing-pediatric-heart-transplants <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="col-sm-6"><figure><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-03/image-telling-hospital-story-one-heart-three-lives-how-duke-health-is-revolutionizing-pediatric-heart-transplants-march-18-2025.jpg" alt="Yale New Haven. Image Margaret Van Bruggen, Kensley Frizzell and Journi Kelly" width="700" height="532"><figcaption>Margaret Van Bruggen, Kensley Frizzell and Journi Kelly (L-R) were the recipients of the first living mitral valve replacement.</figcaption></figure></div><p>Journi Kelly, 11, needed a new heart, but had healthy mitral valves. Margaret Van Bruggen, 14, and Kensley Frizzell, 9, had relatively healthy hearts; they just needed new valves. A groundbreaking procedure developed at <a href="https://corporate.dukehealth.org/news/duke-health-performs-worlds-first-living-mitral-valve-replacement" target="_blank" title="Duke Health">Duke Health</a> led to all three girls getting what they needed. </p><p>The Duke team performed the world’s first living mitral valve replacement, a type of partial heart transplant, which Duke pioneered in 2022. The transplant is even more remarkable for pediatric patients like Margaret and Kensley. Previous technologies relied on either mechanical valves or valves that came from preserved non-living tissue. Neither of those grow with the patient, so a pediatric valve replacement is a guarantee of multiple surgeries, sometimes as often as every six months, until the patient stops growing. The living tissue means that Margaret and Kensley should be able to steer clear of the operating room for some time. Journi went into sudden heart failure and was waiting for a heart transplant, though her mitral valves were undamaged. When a heart became available for Journi, her valves were a match for both Margaret and Kensley. </p><p>“To think that the lives of three girls could be saved after one full-heart donation is amazing,” said Joseph Turek, M.D., Duke’s chief of pediatric cardiac surgery. </p><p>“Before Journi’s surgery, we were told the doctors were hoping to try a new procedure and asked if we were willing to donate Journi’s old heart,” said Rachel Kelly, Journi’s stepmom. “They explained to us that they could use the healthy parts of it to help other kids. Our next question was, ‘Where do we sign?’”</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://corporate.dukehealth.org/news/duke-health-performs-worlds-first-living-mitral-valve-replacement">LEARN MORE</a></p><p> </p></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/topics/innovation">Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Tue, 18 Mar 2025 15:00:02 -0500 Child and Adolescent Health /baby-thriving-after-innovative-procedure-shrivel-lemon-sized-cyst <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="col-md-6"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-03/image-telling-the-hospital-story-yale-new-haven-childrens-hospital-700x532-3-18-2025-3.jpg" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Yale New Haven. Stock image bouncing baby" width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>Cutting-edge medical advancements are saving and transforming lives, including minimally invasive procedures in the smallest patients: newborns and infants. </p><p>A team at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital in Connecticut performed a minimally invasive procedure on a 3-day-old baby who had been diagnosed with a lymphatic malformation in utero. A procedure called sclerotherapy was used to shrink a lemon-sized cyst in the newborn, who is now doing well. </p><p>The lymphatic malformation — a rare, nonmalignant, congenital condition — was identified during a prenatal ultrasound during the mother’s third trimester. The mother had follow-up appointments with clinicians, pediatric surgeons and other team members at YNHCH’s Fetal Care Center and neonatal intensive care unit. After ruling out other “anatomical abnormalities” that could affect the newborn’s head and neck region and compromise breathing, the mother was monitored through the rest of her pregnancy and delivered a healthy baby girl. </p><p>Stacey Bass, M.D., medical director of pediatric interventional radiology at YNHCH, and her team performed sclerotherapy when the baby was 3 days old, due to concerns about how the cyst might affect the baby’s development and breathing. The procedure involved accessing the cyst with a needle and placing a catheter, which instilled medicine into the cyst to help stop it from accumulating fluid and then eventually shrivel. The catheter was removed after two days, and the baby went home. </p><p>The young patient is doing well and reaching her developmental milestones. She has a tiny scar from the procedure, which will eventually fade. Her mother praised the YNHCH team that provided care throughout this medical journey. “They connected me to the experts, and the experience was very reassuring despite all the uncertainty. I was impressed by the evidence-based approach, collaborative conversations, and empathy.”</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://www.ynhh.org/articles/lymphatic-malformation">LEARN MORE</a></p><p> </p></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/topics/innovation">Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Tue, 18 Mar 2025 13:40:43 -0500 Child and Adolescent Health /role-hospitals-new-era-heart-valve-replacement-loma-linda-university-childrens-hospital <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="col-md-6"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-03/ths-loma-linda-heart-transplant-700x532.jpg" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Loma Linda Children's Hospital. Four surgeons shown engaged in an operation" width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>Loma Linda University Children's Hospital recently made history performing the first pediatric partial heart transplant in Southern California. Surgeons successfully replaced 12-year-old Ymiliano Hernandez's damaged heart valves with living tissue from a donor's heart, in what could ultimately be the future of heart valve replacement for many patients.</p><p>Hernandez was born with truncus arteriosus, a rare congenital heart defect in which a single blood vessel exits the heart instead of the usual two, affecting normal blood flow. Following the groundbreaking 15-hour procedure, post-op imaging results show that his heart now functions as if he’d been born with a typical one.</p><p>"It's incredible to think about the benefits of this approach,” said Natalie Shwaish, M.D., Hernandez’s cardiologist. “Traditional valve replacements, like those from human cadavers or cows, don't last very long. That means patients often need repeat surgeries an average of every 10 years for the rest of their life. The risks increase each time the chest is opened, making repeated procedures a significant concern. The other option, mechanical heart valves, require blood thinners which are challenging to manage in children and always have the risk of bleeding."</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://news.llu.edu/patient-care/first-pediatric-partial-heart-transplant-southern-california-llu-childrens-hospital">LEARN MORE</a></p><p> </p></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/topics/innovation">Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Thu, 13 Mar 2025 14:50:13 -0500 Child and Adolescent Health /role-hospitals-banner-university-medical-center-phoenix-stellar-care-helps-identical-quadruplets-thrive-arizona <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-6"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-03/ths-phoenix-quads-700x532.jpg" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Banner- University Medical Center Phoenix. One of the Vargas quadruplets rests in a bassinet." width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>Rachel and Marco Vargas recently welcomed four identical baby girls at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix, a rare occurrence with odds estimated at one in 40 million. </p><p>Despite facing numerous complications and high-risk factors, the couple remained hopeful and sought multiple medical opinions. Their perseverance paid off when Rachel successfully delivered the quadruplets on Jan. 24 at 30 weeks and three days, with the help of renowned multiple birth specialist John Elliott, M.D., who said he’d never seen a pregnancy like Rachel’s in his career. </p><p>The sisters, Sofía, Philomena, Veronica and Isabel, are currently in the neonatal intensive care unit, receiving the necessary care and monitoring. Rachel and Marco, who also have a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old, recently moved to a new home to accommodate their growing family. </p><p>“It certainly hasn’t been an easy journey,” Marco said, “but we’re so grateful for the realistic yet positive attitude that Dr. Elliott instilled in us, as well as the stellar care from all of the teams who have helped us at Banner.” </p><p>Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix is recognized for its advanced care for high-order multiples and complex pregnancies. The Vargas family is looking forward to bringing their four little girls home soon and starting this new chapter in their lives.</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://www.bannerhealth.com/newsroom/press-releases/quadruplets">LEARN MORE</a></p></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/community-benefit">Benefiting Communities</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Tue, 11 Mar 2025 14:26:17 -0500 Child and Adolescent Health