Southwest Florida Golisano Children’s Hospital brings pediatric neurosurgical services to the southwest Florida community.
The senior nurse and operations manager at Golisano Children’s Hospital, Alyssa Bostwick, announced this with colleagues on December 21. The new service is made possible through a partnership with the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, which began in 2019.
“About two years ago these teams sat around the table and had a very meaningful conversation about how we can work together to provide the best care and access to care not just in our regions but along the west coast of Florida.” said Bostwick. “During that conversation, we quickly focused on the need for pediatric neurosurgical services here at Golisano. Given our growing population and changing demographic developments, the demand escalated quickly. “
Bostwick said Golisano transferred more than 100 children from the area for neurosurgical services each year. Team members have worked to provide proper education, training, policy and procedure development, and equipment procurement.
Bostwick also thanked the community for making it a reality, as 100 percent of the funds for the program were donated philanthropically.
“Every hour of education and training, every device was financed by donors and the generosity of our community.” She said.
The new program will enable children with neurological conditions that require surgery to receive such high levels of care at Golisano Children’s Hospital rather than traveling to bigger cities like Miami or St. Petersburg. Affiliation with the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital began two years ago when the organizations reached an agreement to expand care for children on the west coast of Florida by working together to provide the highest quality care, use of resources, and better value for To create families.
“When we started this collaboration with Golisano two years ago, our goal was to expand childcare on the west coast of Florida.” Dr. George Jallo, neurosurgeon, assistant dean and chief physician at Johns Hopkins All Children and medical director of the hospital’s Institute of Brain Protection Sciences. “As we wanted to deepen our neurosurgery specialty, we’re proud of the work our team has done to train nurses and experienced practice providers, and to expand this program so that children in Southwest Florida have access to the right pediatric experts.”
Through the association, the two children’s hospitals will work together in a variety of ways, including pediatric research studies and protocols, telemedical advice and consultations, educational conferences, and the hiring of a dedicated pediatric neurosurgeon from Golisano Children’s Hospital.
Through an extensive recruiting process, Dr. Theodore Spinks, a pediatric neurosurgeon with more than 15 years of experience, selected to lead the neurosurgery program at Golisano Children’s Hospital. Spinks recently joined the team and has already performed several surgeries that have allowed families to stay in southwest Florida for care.
Lee Health officials said Spinks and the team at Golisano Children’s Hospital will initially focus on the treatment and management of brain and spine tumors, spina bifida, Chiari malformation, tether, minimally invasive brain and spine surgery, and complex spine surgery. Additional services will be added over time.
“The location should never be an obstacle for families” Spinks, director of the neurosurgery program at Golisano Children’s Hospital, said. “Prior to this program, children in need of such advanced neurological care probably should have gone to St. Petersburg or Miami, but now they can get that care here at Golisano Children’s Hospital. We are so proud to offer this life-saving service to the children in our community. “
Executive donors currently include The Bruning Foundation, Dave and Cheryl Copham, Amanda Cross and the Theodore Cross Family Charitable Foundation, The Fernandez Family Foundation, Bill and Julie Vitner, Barbara’s Friends, the Boston Red Sox Celebrity Golf Classic, The Fred B. . Snite Foundation, The Forest Country Club, Gateway Trinity Lutheran Church, the International Jaguar Festival, Jersey Mike’s Subs, the Porsche Parade and SanCap Cares. The cause also received a $ 1 million Challenge Grant from the Wasie Foundation.
You can find more information about the Golisano Children’s Hospital at www.GolisanoChildrensSWFL.org.
For more information about the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, visit www.HopkinsAllChildrens.org.
Golisano Children’s Hospital is located at 9981 S Healthpark Drive in Fort Myers.
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