Global Programs

Forty years ago, Children''s HeartLink began with a commitment to treating children in underserved parts of the world. Today, we''re building sustainable programs that prevent, treat and cure heart disease among needy children. By partnering with volunteer doctors and medical personnel from the world''s leading institutions, including Mayo Clinic, Lucile Packard Children''s Hospital at Stanford and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, we''re changing lives across the globe.

We collaborate with local medical communities in developing countries to improve the quality of cardiac care. We TREAT patients by performing or supporting surgical and medical procedures at partner sites, we enhance our partner sites'' efforts to PREVENT rheumatic fever and Chagas'' disease and we generate diversified financial support to help SUSTAIN our international programs.

Taking the treatment to the patient

The original purpose of Children''s HeartLink was to treat children by bringing them to the U.S. for heart surgery. But this proved to be expensive and therefore only available to relatively few children and did not get to the root of the problem: inadequate cardiac care in too many regions of the world. Children''s HeartLink soon changed its focus to meet the medical needs of more children in the developing world. Today Children''s HeartLink works in partnership with the medical communities in selected countries, to help them build quality, sustainable cardiac programs, so that more children can receive the quality care they need from programs in their own country.

Education and Training: Passing on life-saving knowlege:

Children''s HeartLink provides many opportunities for physicians, nurses and technicians from developing countries to receive the most current training in the prevention and treatment of heart disease. In addition to sending medical volunteers (teams and individuals) to its international partner sites to help train local cardiac teams, Children''s HeartLink also provides opportunities for off-site training both in centers of excellence within their own country, region or elsewhere in the world. Staff training may be considered for any site employee who can affect the quality of the pediatric cardiac services. This comprehensive approach increases effectiveness from initial diagnosis to post-operative treatment and infection control.

Donated Resources:
Equipment that works - and keeps working

It is one thing to obtain and distribute the medical equipment that meet a partner site''s needs; it is quite another thing to keep that gear operational, especially with the lack of resources and infrastructure in many developing countries. By working closely with some very generous manufacturers and technicians, Children''s HeartLink helps its sites acquire, utilize and maintain the equipment that is critical to their cardiovascular programs.

Critical Supplies:

Children''s HeartLink provides some critical supplies such as heart valves, interventional devices, perfusion supplies so cardiac patients can receive the needed treatment. We are sensitive to local resources and availability of supplies.

Funding

Children''s HeartLink also provides a limited amount of funding for charity patient care through local foundations at the partner site.

The Results

- Annually, more than 100 medical volunteers representing 31 institutions, participating in and supporting services at 12 partner sites in nine countries and three prevention projects;

- Overall, these partner programs annually provide more than 300,000 outpatient visits, more than 100,000 echo exams, over 20,000 cath procedures (~3,000 interventional), and over 7,000 cardiac operations to children and adults;

- Between 1994 and 2003, Children?s HeartLink has directly supported 1,436 procedures (1,365 cardiac operations, 71 interventional caths);

- Over the last four decades the value of treatment, education and medical equipment and supplies provided has been valued at over $55 million;

- Educational opportunities, on- and off-site, have been provided for ~5,400 individuals; and

- Overall, the number of diagnostic and surgical procedures has increased yearly at each partner site.