The family-centered, multidisciplinary approach to care offered by the center is the reason the program stands above the rest in the region. Families come to Children's Memorial Hospital because no other provider in the region can offer the breadth and depth of services nor the level of expertise among its specialists and subspecialists. At any given time, a patient at Children's Memorial may be treated by a team of clinicians, surgeons, scientists, nurses, nutritionists, dietitians, advanced practice nurses, and child and family support staff—all of whom are solely dedicated to the care of children.
Children's Memorial led the way in 1995 as one of the first pediatric hospitals to conduct stem cell transplants on an outpatient basis. Outpatient care for stem cell transplants was once thought risky and incompatible. But according to Morris Kletzel, MD, director of the program, recovery at home is actually safer for children because they are exposed to fewer germs and bacteria.
Today, Children's Memorial consistently performs outpatient transplants to treat specific kinds of cancers, and many other pediatric facilities have followed suit.