U.S. News & World Report has ranked Valley Children’s Hospital as one of the best children’s hospitals in the country in several pediatric specialties in the new 2017-2018 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings released today. Valley Children’s ranked in Pediatric Orthopedics, Pediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology and Pediatric Gastroenterology & Gastrointestinal Surgery.
U.S. News introduced the Best Children’s Hospital rankings in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available. They are the only comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric centers. The 11th annual rankings highlight the top 50 U.S. pediatric facilities.
“U.S. News & World Report has recognized what we’ve known for a long time – that our pediatric specialists, nurses and everyone here at Valley Children’s stack up with the best,” says Valley Children’s President and CEO Todd Suntrapak. “It is a great recognition and so richly deserved by our team. I’m so proud that they’re being honored for the great work they’ve done in the service of children for decades and will continue to do for decades to come.”
“The pediatric centers we rank in Best Children’s Hospitals deliver exceptionally high-quality care and deserve to be recognized for their commitment,” says U.S. News Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. “Children with life-threatening illnesses or rare conditions need the state-of-the-art services and expertise these hospitals provide every day.”
Valley Children’s pediatric orthopaedic surgery department, led by Dr. Joseph Gerardi, is the only specialized practice of its kind in Central California, performing more than 2,200 surgeries and caring for children more than 32,000 times annually. From infants to young adults, the multi-disciplinary team delivers outstanding care to children facing everything from fractures to congenital deformities (including spinal problems and clubfoot) to neuromuscular diseases.
The endocrinology team, under the direction of Dr. Nedim Çakan, cares for more than 11,000 children each year. The pediatric specialists treat common problems such as short stature, early or late puberty and diabetes, along with very rare and complex cases such as thyroid or pituitary tumors. The Pediatric Diabetes Care Center at Valley Children’s sees more than 1,600 children with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes each year. It is recognized by the American Diabetes Association and has one of the biggest educator groups in the nation. The specialists work together with diabetes and endocrinology nurses, dietitians, social workers, families and school nurses to improve the life of children throughout the region.
Dr. Marvin Ament, a world-renowned pediatric gastroenterologist considered by many to be one of the founders of the specialty, developed Valley Children’s gastroenterology team into the leading experts in this field. The pediatric gastroenterologists at Valley Children’s use state-of-the-art technology to treat complex and common gastrointestinal and nutrition disorders, training other pediatric specialists on procedures like endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram (or ERCP), a minimally invasive procedure that repairs complex digestive problems without subjecting a child to major surgery. Valley Children’s pediatric surgery team, under the leadership of Dr. Michael Allshouse, works with the gastroenterology department on complex cases that require surgical intervention. Of the 3,100 general surgeries they performed last year, 1,400 were for digestive system disorders.
“Every day at Valley Children’s, every doctor, nurse, pharmacist and care team member is focused on providing the best care to every patient and family,” says Dr. David Christensen, Valley Children’s Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs and Chief Physician Executive. “It takes dedication and experience to excel on a national level and I am so proud of everyone here. As great as these accolades are, we know we can do even better and we will continue to strive for the best possible clinical outcomes for the kids we serve.”
“There is no room for rest here,” adds Mr. Suntrapak. “A family places an incredible amount of trust on us when they bring their child to Valley Children’s. I can’t think of anything more inspiring to me or to the thousands of men and women who bring their best to work every day. That is why they’re getting recognized by U.S. News & World Report.”
The U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals rankings rely on clinical data and an annual survey of pediatric specialists. Survival rates, adequacy of nurse staffing, procedure volume and much more can be viewed on http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/pediatric-rankings. The rankings will be published in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals 2018” guidebook, available for sale Sept. 12.
For more information on Valley Children’s ranked programs, visit valleychildrens.org/USNews.