Miami Children's Hospital CEO Advised Congress of Need for Expanded Children’s Services in Florida
Published on: 5/10/2003
MIAMI, FL…Thomas M. Rozek, President and CEO of Miami Children's Hospital (MCH), told a Congressional subcommittee that a federal partnership is needed to address the growing critical need for children’s health services in South Florida— including programs to advance research and treatment of pediatric brain tumor, the leading cause of childhood cancer-related deaths in Florida and the nation.
Mr. Rozek testified before the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies that a federal partnership could make possible the expansion of high-demand pediatric specialty services in the state and support Miami Children's in its quest to improve treatment of neurological disorders.
Mr. Rozek focused on MCH’s commitment to the development and construction of a new Ambulatory Care Center to expand services in the following high-demand pediatric specialties: orthopaedics, rheumatology, urology, nephrology, neurosciences, behavioral health and pediatric dentistry. The center will enable the hospital to reach and serve a significantly larger number of children and reduce the waiting times children and families currently face.
To address the increased incidence of brain tumors in children, MCH is also seeking federal participatory assistance to acquire, develop and implement the utilization of the next generation of Intraoperative MRI instrumentation, to improve surgical outcomes for children with brain tumors. Brain tumors are the #1 cause of childhood cancer deaths nationally. The disease is particularly prevalent in Florida.
Founded in 1950, Miami Children’s Hospital is the only licensed specialty hospital for children in South Florida. The 268-bed medical complex offers medical care and services for children from birth to age 21.
About Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Where Your Child Matters Most ™ (2025)
For 75 years, Nicklaus Children's has stood as a beacon of hope for children and families across the state of Florida and beyond. Nicklaus Children's Hospital is South Florida's #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children serving close to 70 percent of children in the Miami metropolitan community. In addition, Nicklaus Children's offers care within NCH North Hospital in Naples, Jupiter Medical Center's De George Pediatric Unit and select Baptist Health Hospital pediatric emergency units. The hospital and its network of more of nearly 35 outpatient care locations offer lifesaving care in in Miami-Dade, Broward, Martin, and Palm Beach counties. These outpatient locations include an array of urgent care, pediatric primary care, and subspecialty care centers and are either hospital-based or outpatient locations under Nicklaus Children's Pediatric Specialists, LLC (NCPS). Providing a pipeline of future physicians and groundbreaking research, Nicklaus Children's is an academic and clinical affiliate of Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Nicklaus Children's is home to centers of excellence including the Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Nicklaus Children's Orthopedic, Sports Medicine and Spine Institute, Nicklaus Children's Neuroscience Institute and Nicklaus Children's Heart Institute. The 325-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children's also includes a nonprofit physician practice subsidiary with over 40 specialties, and an ambulatory surgery center.
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