Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida have entered into an agreement to expand care for kids across Florida’s west coast. The new agreement officially takes effect immediately, and will give providers at both locations access to medical privileges to admit and treat patients. Golisano Children’s Hospital will also be able to take part in pediatric research studies and protocols through Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

This innovative relationship provides a process for collaboration between the two hospitals, with a focus on increasing access to specialized pediatric care. Through this agreement, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and Golisano Children’s Hospital will work together to deliver the highest quality care, leverage resources and create better value for families.

“Our mission has always been to provide excellence in pediatric care and this agreement broadens our reach to help patients in more ways than before,” said Thomas D. Kmetz, president of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. “Location should never be a barrier to finding the best health care for your child, and this relationship not only helps to expand care for young patients across the west coast of Florida, but also builds upon the pediatric research underway to find cures for childhood diseases.”

The two hospitals also agreed to promote best practices at both locations with the goal of tracking and improving patient outcomes, lowering costs and promoting patient care closer to home.

Over the past several months, the two hospitals have been working together to advance patient care through a variety of activities, including:

• Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital providing genetics telehealth counseling to patients at Golisano Children’s Hospital
• Golisano Children’s Hospital participating with Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital on Phase I research protocols on brain tumors
• 25+ clinical staff at Golisano Children’s Hospital participating in the Johns Hopkins All  Children’s Hospital Brain Symposium, a three-day educational conference about caring for patients with disease and injury of the brain and spine
• Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital providing advanced training in pediatric dialysis to Golisano Children’s Hospital staff, as well as ongoing mentoring and shadowing of its multidisciplinary team

“Joining forces between Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and Golisano Children’s Hospital will allow each institution to do more of what they were intended to do — provide the highest quality care to the children in our regions,” said Armando Llechu, chief administrative officer of Golisano Children’s Services at Lee Health. “In addition to enhancing consultative services between the two hospitals, this agreement opens up many possibilities for future collaboration, programs and activities that will enhance the excellent care we are already providing to our patients. Simply put, we are better together."