U.S. News & World Report’s 2021-22 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings have been released, and we’ve again been named among the country’s top 50 hospitals in caring for kids.
CHoR earned rankings in four pediatric specialties — urology (#28), pulmonology (#30), nephrology (#42) and cancer (#50). We ranked higher in urology and nephrology than last year and landed at #10 out of all children’s hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia.
“When families need medical care for their kids, they want nothing less than the best — and that’s exactly what they find at CHoR,” said Elias Neujahr, CEO of CHoR. “Our community and our nation faced many challenges over the past year, but this recognition underscores that through it all, these teams never paused in caring, researching, growing and giving their all to make sure the health of our kids comes first.”
One of these kids is Jacob Jones, who went to the emergency room of his local hospital with flu-like symptoms, only to be transferred to CHoR for an unexpected diagnosis and life-saving care. That’s when he learned he was born with renal dysplasia. At just 16 years old, his kidneys were failing and he needed a transplant. It was the coordinated care from Dr. Timothy Bunchman, chief of nephrology, and the entire nephrology team that Jacob’s mother, Teresa, appreciated most.
“We are so grateful. Every problem we had, the team had a solution for it. The way they listened to what I had to say and the concerns I had — they didn’t brush anything off,” Teresa said. “It wasn’t always all about clinical diagnoses. If I just wanted to talk about Jacob and what I was feeling, they would listen. If I was having a problem with the mail order pharmacy, they would help.”
After seven months on dialysis, Jacob received his kidney transplant at CHoR last July, which resulted in complete and immediate kidney function. Today he’s focused squarely on the future as he prepares to attend college in the fall. Thousands of patients who have received care from CHoR’s cancer, pulmonology and urology teams have similar stories of success.
The rankings are based on clinical data — such as procedure and patient volumes, survival rates, availability of care for specific illnesses and more — along with an annual survey of providers in the given pediatric specialty areas. Factoring in the extra demands on health care personnel across the nation due to COVID-19, the publication did not collect new clinical data this year, but rather coupled last year’s data with fresh reputation surveys to determine the 2021-22 rankings.
“I am exceedingly proud of the continued recognition of our teams for the top caliber clinical care they’re providing to kids who live in Richmond, as well as their commitment to children who travel from throughout Virginia, the region and beyond for specialty care at CHoR. Whether a child is battling cystic fibrosis or cancer, urologic concerns or kidney disease, they’re benefitting from these teams’ commitment to quality, safety, advanced research and innovative clinical expertise, along with a passion for providing whole-hearted care for every family,” said Dr. Karen Hendricks-Muñoz, interim chair, Department of Pediatrics, interim physician in chief, CHoR.
CHoR is the region’s only full-service children’s hospital, with growing programming and facilities generously supported by the community through the Children’s Hospital Foundation. While each team has its own focus areas for clinical care and research, collaboration with colleagues across all disciplines at CHoR is key to effectively managing complex childhood illnesses and helping kids get back to what they do best — being kids.
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