Your Child's Safety First. Always.

Even before the pandemic, the Map the Meal Gap analysis underscored the reality of nearly 260,000 residents of Broward County who did not know where their next meal would come from.  Of these, more than 18%, or 73,195 children did not have access to nutritional foods, many going to bed hungry. This is a situation exacerbated by the COVID-19 economic and health crisis many families are facing today. To ensure patients have access to nutritional foods that support healing after discharge, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital has established a Food Pantry.  

In partnership with Lions Club International and Feeding South Florida, beginning February 15, 2021, patients and their families who are facing food insecurities will receive nutritional foods to sustain them, while the patients continue to recover at home.

Having access to healthy foods is imperative to a patient’s recovery; it is as important as prescribed remedies. The hospital estimates that 750 families will benefit from the Food Pantry in 2021.

“With this food pantry, we are directly addressing the food insecurity that many of our patients and families experience by ensuring they have access to healthy foods at home to continue the healing process beyond the hospital stay or visit,” said Meghean Feidelman, Director of Food and Nutrition, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.

Feidelman was joined by Adita Vazquez, immediate past District Governor of Lions Club and Sari Vatske, EVP of Feeding South Florida, among others, at the official opening of the pantry.  The three organizations have worked together to build the pantry and will ensure it is well stocked for years to come.

Under a new partnership, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital’s [U18] Sports Medicine program will provide on-going education focused on injury prevention to athletes, coaches, and families of the Wellington Wolves Basketball Association during the 2021 season. In addition, the [U18] Sports Medicine program will support the Wellington Wolves Travel Basketball Association in community charitable events that the team participates throughout the year.

[U18] Sports Medicine was developed to meet the needs of the pediatric and adolescent population for sports injuries and prevention. It is one of several programs offered by the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Orthopedic Center, which is the top-ranked pediatric orthopedic program in Florida according to US News and World Report. The program has highly specialized, board-certified and fellowship trained medical experts treating young athletes at medical offices throughout Broward County and in Palm Beach at the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Health Specialty Center in JDCH Wellington.

For more information Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital’s [U18] Sports Medicine program, visit JDCH.com/Ortho.

 

Moments after Milan was born at the Family Birthplace at Memorial Hospital Miramar, her mom, Dadrian, didn’t hear normal newborn sounds. Then she heard the dreaded “Code Blue.”

“A nurse told me she’s having some breathing issues. They put her on a breathing tube in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and then they told me they’re transferring her to Joe DiMaggio,” said Dadrian.

At Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Wasie NICU in Hollywood, doctors performed differential diagnoses and discovered choanal atresia, a structural blockage in the back of her nose.

“I was able to drill into and slowly tear down the choanal atresia,” said Sweeti Shah, DO, pediatric otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon. Soon Milan was breathing on her own. “It’s rewarding because our team identified the problem, fixed it, and worked together so she healed properly, she added.”

“It’s a symphony of all the specialties that makes us unique,” agreed Rune Toms, MD, neonatologist leading Milan’s team. “The level of care is that much higher.”

“I trust them,” concluded Dadrian while feeding Milan. “She’s getting the best care possible.”