Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado Hospital Announce Mother and Baby Program

Letter of Intent sets stage for landmark maternal-fetal/neonatal medicine partnership

Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado Hospital announced on November 11 the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) as an important first step toward the development of a preeminent maternal-fetal/neonatal medicine program to be located at Children's Hospital Colorado. The two organizations, which have each secured national prominence in patient care, research, education and innovation, have provided services to mothers, babies, high-risk pregnancies and complex newborns for more than three decades. By building on these already existing services, Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado Hospital will enhance their ability to provide unparalleled care and treatment for high-risk mothers and their babies throughout local, regional and national communities.

Many chronic diseases in children and adults have prenatal origins, and the rapid development of technology that now facilitates diagnosis of many in-utero conditions enhances the ability to intervene in ways that can reduce and even eliminate the adverse consequences of those conditions. A partner initiative of Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado Hospital, the Colorado High Risk Maternity and Newborn Program  offers high-risk expectant mothers and their newborns many services unique within the state of Colorado and provides high-risk mothers and babies access to more medical specialties than any other program in the Rocky Mountain region.

Recently, Children's Hospital Colorado and University of Colorado Hospital medical teams performed the fourth delivery of a high-risk infant with a serious heart condition at Children's Hospital Colorado. These babies' chances of survival increased dramatically due to the availability of the multidisciplinary specialized fetal and neonatal services at Children's Hospital Colorado and University of Colorado Hospital.

• The newly signed LOI allows the two hospitals to explore the advancement of the existing mother-baby services to include a single mother-baby facility on the same campus while expanding on unique treatment options, therapies and programs, such as the following:
• Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with a wide array of distinctive treatment modalities;
• Heart Institute with a dedicated Cardiac Intensive Care Unit for infants with heart anomalies and the ability to perform complex neonatal heart surgery;
• Department of Pediatrics that ranks among the top five in the nation in pediatric research funding;
• Pediatric Surgery Program that offers robotics and advanced minimally invasive surgery;
• New interdisciplinary Child-Maternal Health Program that focuses on prenatal and postnatal health issues that are precursors for adult health issues.

Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado Hospital share a common pediatric faculty through the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, as well as graduate medical education programs and continuing medical education programs. Jointly and cooperatively, Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado Hospital will continue to provide maternal-fetal medicine and newborn care in a variety of forms to serve the healthcare needs of mothers, babies, high-risk pregnancies and complex newborns in Colorado, the region and the nation. Care providers in these programs work collaboratively with community hospital partners throughout the state.

About Children's Hospital Colorado

This year, Children's Hospital Colorado celebrates 100 years of pediatric healthcare excellence. Founded in 1908, Children's Hospital Colorado is a leading pediatric network entirely devoted to the health and well-being of children. Continually recognized as one of the nation's outstanding hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, Children's Hospital Colorado is known both for its nationally and internationally recognized medical, research and education programs as well as the full spectrum of everyday care for kids throughout Colorado and surrounding states. With more than 1,000 healthcare professionals representing the full range of pediatric specialties, Children's Hospital Colorado Network of Care includes its main campus, 13 Care by Children's Hospital Colorado locations and more than 400 outreach clinics. For more information, visit www.childrenscolorado.org.

About the University of Colorado Hospital

The University of Colorado Hospital is the Rocky Mountain region's leading academic medical center and has been recognized as one of the United States' best hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report. It is best known as an innovator in patient care and often as one of the first hospitals to bring new medicine to patients' bedsides. Located at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colo., the hospital is affiliated with the University of Colorado Denver, one of three campuses in the University of Colorado system. For more information, visit the website at www.uch.edu or the UC Denver Newsroom at http://www.ucdenver.edu/about/newsroom.