By Vanessa Orr
The Children’s Oncology Hematology Clinic (COHC) in West Palm Beach, a division of KIDZ Medical Services, recently inaugurated a new, expansive office on the campus of Palm Beach Children’s Hospital/St. Mary’s Medical Center to treat its growing patient population. KIDZ Medical is the largest regional provider of care to pediatric cancer patients in South Florida. And its new office is poised to further enhance the services offered to residents of Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast.
(l-r) Charles Felix, publisher of South Florida Hospital News; Albert Tano, M.D., Co-Founder of KIDZ Medical; Jessica Miller, CNO, St. Mary’s Medical Center; Narayana Gowda, M.D.; Cynthia McCauley, CEO, St. Mary’s Medical Center; Jorge Perez, M.D., Co-Founder of KIDZ Medical.
“With the growth of the community, we needed to expand our capacity to see more patients and offer more advanced care closer to home,” said pediatric hematologist oncologist Matthew D. Ramirez, M.D., noting that patients initially seen at other children’s hospitals are then referred to KIDZ specialists.
“The KIDZ hematology oncology practice in West Palm Beach has grown significantly in the last several years,” agreed Albert Tano, M.D., co-founder of KIDZ Medical. “Our strong partnership with St. Mary’s and their support of the practice—along with the quality and collaboration of the KIDZ physicians—has created significant benefits for our patients.”
Within the new office, the practice will be providing specialized care for children and teens being treated for brain tumors, leukemia and lymphoma, sickle cell disease and other blood disorders, bone marrow-related illnesses, bone marrow transplants, solid tumors, and other pediatric cancers and related diseases.
“Our new office gives us space for further expansion, including adding subspecialists who see patients here,” said Dr. Ramirez. “For example, when the bone marrow transplant team from Miami comes to see our patients, they will now have dedicated facilities.”
The new office also contains an infusion center that enables patients needing chemotherapy or other drugs to avoid a hospital or emergency room environment.
A Tradition of Innovation in Patient Care
Nearly 40 years ago, Dr. Narayana Gowda began practicing as the area’s first pediatric hematologist oncologist. In addition to seeing KIDZ patients, Dr. Gowda currently serves as principal investigator for studies conducted through the world’s leading pediatric research organization, the Children’s Oncology Group (COG).
“Not many people know this, but the oldest pediatric hematology oncology floor in the county is at Palm Beach Children’s Hospital,” said Dr. Tano. “The hospital has been an excellent partner for KIDZ’ hematology oncology specialists and has done everything required to treat pediatric cancer patients.
“To run a pediatric oncology program, you have to have many pediatric specialists available 24/7, including pediatric infectious disease specialists and hospitalists, plus you need an emergency room geared toward treating these patients,” he continued. “St. Mary’s follows Children’s Oncology Group protocols, and is one of only 200 COG-accredited institutions in the world.”
Advancements in hematology oncology have helped to increase patient survivorship, and range from new medications that help to limit the side effects of sickle cell disease to long-acting factors that can be given subcutaneously for the treatment of hemophilia.
“From an oncology standpoint, we continue to push for more targeted therapies through genetic testing to determine if adult oncologic medicines can help pediatric patients who do not respond to upfront therapy,” said Dr. Ramirez. “CAR T-cell therapy, which is now FDA-approved, is being used to help patients’ own immune systems fight against cancer.
Family-related bone marrow transplants are helping win the battle against sickle cell disease, and the West Palm Beach practice is integrated with the more established bone marrow transplant program in Miami.
“Approximately 85 percent of children with a cancer diagnosis are now surviving annually, and that number is only going to grow over time,” said Dr. Ramirez, who specializes in survivorship care, which includes monitoring patients for late-occurring side effects from previous cancer therapies. “We were the first to bring survivorship care to South Florida, and now other hospitals are developing their own programs.
“These improving numbers show that something is working,” he added. “We are moving the dial as far as survivorship is concerned.”
Children’s Oncology Hematology Clinic is located at 927 45th Street, Suite 201, West Palm Beach, Florida 33407. To learn more, visit www.kidzmedical.com/pediatric-services/hematology-oncology.
