Levine Children’s Hospital (LCH) announced today almost $2.5 million in local funding to support pediatric cardiovascular services and the pediatric congenital heart program. These significant commitments came through the Partnership for Pediatric Hearts, a group of individuals and businesses dedicated to supporting pediatric care in the community. The Partnership was established earlier this year by an initial gift of $1 million from NASCAR and automotive business owner Rick Hendrick and his family. Two additional $500,000 pledges – one from the Tansukh Ganatra Family and the other from the Dreamcatcher Society; a recent $300,000 pledge from Showmars in honor of their 30th anniversary in business; and a matching commitment from Carolinas HealthCare Foundation brings the total amount pledged for LCH cardiac programs to almost $5 million. Levine Children’s Hospital has also committed to invest substantial resources in this initiative. Funding from the Partnership will support equipment and resources to help advance what is already one of the fastest growing programs at LCH. Just five years after opening, the hospital was recently ranked #33 by U.S. News & World Report for its cardiology and cardiac surgery program. LCH is the only facility in the region to provide pediatric open-heart surgery; a pediatric catheterization lab; heart transplant and heart assistance devices; and ECMO (heart-lung bypass).
