CHLA named top children's hospital in western U.S., top 5 in nation

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- For the second straight year, Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been ranked the top children's hospital in the western United States and the fifth-best in the nation.

The rankings were released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

"To make U.S. News & World Report's prestigious Best Children's Hospitals Honor Roll, one must demonstrate the strongest achievements in clinical excellence, with a matchless team of expert, compassionate specialists committed to research and education as well as protocols that drive safety and quality and consistently lead to the best health outcomes for patients,'' CHLA President and Chief Executive Officer Paul S. Viviano said. This honor affirms the work of every CHLA team member and our belief that when parents choose Children's Hospital Los Angeles, they are choosing the best care for kids."

The hospital also earned top-10 recognition in several categories:

-- No. 5 in Cancer (up from No. 10);

-- No. 3 in Cardiology & Heart Surgery (up from No. 4);

-- No. 8 in Diabetes & Endocrine Disorders;

-- No. 6 in Gastroenterology & GI Surgery (up from No. 9);

-- No. 2 in Neonatal Care (up from No. 9);

-- No. 15 in Nephrology (up from No. 16);

-- No. 9 in Neurology & Neurosurgery;

-- No. 4 in Orthopaedics (up from No. 5);

-- No. 12 in Pulmonology (up from No. 13);

-- No. 13 in Urology.

"CHLA has an organization-wide commitment to providing our patients the care they need no matter their circumstances,'' CHLA Chief Medical Officer James Stein said. Our clinical teams often treat the most acute cases that are outside the scope or expertise of other children's hospitals in California, and being named a Top-5 children's hospital in the U.S. is a testament to the clinicians and staff who work every day to make sure each child receives the best care and experience possible.''

The hospital also boasted several notable achievements in the past year:

-- Breakthrough model for kidney research: Scientists in the GOFARR Laboratory for Organ Regenerative Research and Cell Therapeutics in Urology developed the world's first physiologically accurate in vitro model of the human kidney glomerulus, providing researchers with a near-exact model of how the human kidney filters toxins out of a body. Called glomerulus-on-a-chip, this is a game-changer in the research of chronic kidney disease;

-- Nearly 100 CAR-T patients: The Cancer and Blood Disease Institute -- the largest pediatric program of its kind in California -- has now treated nearly 100 patients with CAR-T cell therapy, which uses a patient's own immune cells to target and destroy relapsed leukemia. The team also performed more than 100 bone marrow and autologous stem cell transplants over the past year;

-- Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Program: This new program in our Children's Orthopaedic Center is one of only a few in the nation to offer comprehensive surgical and non-surgical care for children with complex lower-limb deformities. The team has also performed 358 scoliosis procedures in the past two years;

-- New frontier in heart research: CHLA scientists in our Heart Institute discovered a mechanism that zebrafish use to regenerate damaged heart tissue. Their findings could lead to better treatments for babies in need of heart repair;

-- Mobile app for NICCU parents: CHLA neonatologists worked with technology companies to develop the Baby Steps LA mobile app. The app -- which won an innovation award from the American Hospital Association -- assists families after babies are discharged home from our Level IV Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit;

-- Record number of kidney transplants: Our Nephrology team has already performed 19 kidney transplants since the start of 2020 -- a record number for CHLA by halfway through the year;

Tissue engineering milestone: Using stem cells, CHLA scientists successfully grew a fully functional gut nervous system in a pre-clinical model. The feat is an important milestone for research into Hirschsprung's disease, a condition where babies are born with a missing or incomplete gut nervous system;

-- Successful treatment of MIS-C: Since April, Children's Hospital Los Angeles has successfully treated several cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children. CHLA cardiologists and other specialists have been collaborating with centers across the globe on treatment best practices;

-- Gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy: The Neurological Institute at CHLA is at the forefront of new treatment options for SMA, a genetic neuromuscular disease that can be fatal. The team has treated five patients with Zolgensma, the first gene therapy for SMA, and also offers the FDA-approved nusinersen. The hospital also is an expanded access program site for the investigational drug, risdiplam. Because of its expertise, CHLA is a referral site for California's new SMA newborn screening program, which starts June 24.

Children's Hospital Los Angeles is a pediatric academic medical center founded in 1901 and sees more than 600,000 patients annually between its main hospital and five neighborhood care clinics.

The complete list of Best Children's Hospitals Honor Roll and specialty rankings page is available at usnews.com/childrenshospitals.

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