Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the American Heart Association have announced an enhanced collaboration to advance the next generation of pediatric emergency cardiovascular care and resuscitation practices.
The initiative is supported by a $1 million donation from Philadelphia philanthropists Joseph J. and Donna Nicoletti Ferrier, Lori Nicoletti Peruto, Esq., and Mark R. Nicoletti, Sr., in honor of their mother, the late Beatrice F. Nicoletti, who deeply believed that children should receive the best healthcare possible. Funds will help accelerate CHOP’s current world-class emergency cardiovascular care systems into a new innovation incubator, learning laboratory and training academy rooted in the latest resuscitation science developed by the American Heart Association, the global leader in the field.
“This initiative will build upon many years of productive collaboration between our hospital and the American Heart Association to improve the quality of resuscitation practice and cardiac care dedicated exclusively to children,” said Madeline Bell, President and CEO of CHOP. “This generous commitment from the Ferrier, Nicoletti and Peruto families will not only help us advance survival and quality of life for children here in Philadelphia, but also for those across the country and throughout the world.”
Each year, 15,000 children in the United States experience cardiac arrest, with wide variability in the care they receive and survival outcomes. The chances of survival after in-hospital pediatric cardiac arrest can range from 29-44% and differs greatly between hospitals. High-quality CPR delivery and training, as well as adherence to the latest evidence-based guidelines, helps improve patient outcomes by approximately 42%.
The strategic CHOP and American Heart Association initiative is designed to accelerate the mission of CHOP’s emerging Center for Pediatric Resuscitation to discover, establish, implement, disseminate, sustain and assess evidence-based resuscitation guidelines and pioneer new interventions that improve survival and quality of life for children and their families. The American Heart Association is the leader in resuscitation science, and brings a full complement of training, education and quality improvement programs to measure and improve clinical performance and evaluate best practice.
“The child mortality rate from cardiovascular disease in Philadelphia is 45% higher than the national average, making the Nicoletti family’s gift especially critical and timely,” said American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown. “We look forward to elevating pediatric cardiovascular care and improving outcomes for children in Philadelphia, as well as transforming best practices and standards of care across the country. This important collaboration supports the Association’s vision of a world where no one dies from cardiac arrest and we are honored to join CHOP in this meaningful work.”
