October 24, 2019 – Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida have entered into an agreement to expand care for kids across Florida’s west coast. The new agreement officially takes effect immediately, and will give providers at both locations access to medical privileges to admit and treat patients. Golisano Children’s Hospital will also be able to take part in pediatric research studies and protocols through Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
This innovative relationship provides a process for collaboration between the two hospitals, with a focus on increasing access to specialized pediatric care. Through this agreement, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and Golisano Children’s Hospital will work together to deliver the highest quality care, leverage resources and create better value for families.
“Joining forces between Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and Golisano Children’s Hospital will allow each institution to do more of what they were intended to do — provide the highest quality care to the children in our regions,” said Armando Llechu, chief administrative officer of Golisano Children’s Services at Lee Health. “In addition to enhancing consultative services between the two hospitals, this agreement opens up many possibilities for future collaboration, programs and activities that will enhance the excellent care we are already providing to our patients. Simply put, we are better together.”
The two hospitals also agreed to promote best practices at both locations with the goal of tracking and improving patient outcomes, lowering costs and promoting patient care closer to home.
Over the past several months, the two hospitals have been working together to advance patient care through a variety of activities, including:
•Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital providing genetics telehealth counseling to patients at Golisano’s Children’s Hospital
•Golisano Children’s Hospital participating with Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital on Phase I research protocols on brain tumors
•25+ clinical staff at Golisano Children’s Hospital participating in the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Brain Symposium, a three-day educational conference about caring for patients with disease and injury of the brain and spine
•Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital providing advanced training in pediatric dialysis to Golisano Children’s Hospital staff, as well as ongoing mentoring and shadowing of its multidisciplinary team
“Our mission has always been to provide excellence in pediatric care and this agreement broadens our reach to help patients in more ways than before,” said Thomas D. Kmetz, president of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. “Location should never be a barrier to finding the best health care for your child, and this relationship not only helps to expand care for young patients across the west coast of Florida, but also builds upon the pediatric research underway to find cures for childhood diseases.”
About Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg is a leader in children’s health care, combining a legacy of compassionate care focused solely on children since 1926 with the innovation and experience of one of the world’s leading health care systems. The 259-bed teaching hospital, stands at the forefront of discovery, leading innovative research to cure and prevent childhood diseases while training the next generation of pediatric experts. With a network of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Outpatient Care centers and collaborative care provided by All Children’s Specialty Physicians at regional hospitals, Johns Hopkins All Children’s brings care closer to home. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital consistently keeps the patient and family at the center of care while continuing to expand its mission in treatment, research, education and advocacy. For more information, visit HopkinsAllChildrens.org.
About Golisano Children’s Hospital
Established in 1994, Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida has been named a “Top Hospital” by The Leapfrog Group for the past three years. It is the only recognized children’s hospital between Tampa and Miami. Lee Health opened the new 128-bed Golisano Children’s Hospital in May 2017, relocating the children’s hospital from the adjacent HealthPark Medical Center. Now 134 beds, it includes comprehensive pediatric services including a 24-hour pediatric emergency department, a 2019 Lantern Award recipient by the Emergency Nurses Association, hematology-oncology unit, milk lab, Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Center, and Level II and Level III NICU with 70 private rooms. Golisano Children’s Hospital is proud to have been named Soliant’s 2018 Most Beautiful Hospital in the U.S., a recognition determined by popular vote. For more information, visit GolisanoChildrensSWFL.org
