A new pediatric center to deal with orthopedic conditions and injuries is coming to JMH
When Brayan Solano was 7 years old, his family desperately sought the best medical care they could find. Solano was born missing a fibula and two small toes on his right foot and had a deformed tibia. By the time he was a year old, he had already had his first surgery in Cuba.
After coming to the United States, the Solanos sought treatment at Shriners Children’s hospital in Tampa. And through 11 years of care and four surgeries, including an amputation below the knee, Solano, now 20, regained the ability to walk with a prosthetic leg. He can play sports he loves like basketball, baseball and football.
On Friday, Jackson Health System announced plans for the Shriners Children’s Orthopedic Center at its health district campus. The center, a partnership with the University of Miami and Shriners Children’s Florida, which runs the Tampa hospital, will house all pediatric orthopedic care when it opens in 2025.
The partnership started a year and a half ago, said Daniel Armstrong, director of the UM Mailman Center for Child Development. The CEO of the Tampa Shriners hospital approached him about collaborating in Miami. The orthopedic center will be located east of Northwest 12th Avenue at Northwest 16th Street, steps from Holtz Children’s Hospital and the new Ronald McDonald House.
“Just like the exceptional care I received from Shriners Children’s Florida, the Shriners Orthopedic Center at Jackson will offer hope and healing to children all around South Florida,” Solano said.
The center, Armstrong said, will allow Jackson to provide orthopedic care and rehabilitation while also addressing the developmental needs of kids with conditions like cerebral palsy. It will enhance physical and occupational therapy and fill in some of the services Jackson has difficulty providing.
“We’ll be able to provide comprehensive care to all children, but we’ll be able to do it in a highly integrated one-stop coordinated fashion,” he said.
The grant from Shriners Children’s Florida will build a pediatric orthopedics program that can treat both conditions like muscular dystrophy and traumatic injuries, said Carlos Migoya, CEO of Jackson Health System.
In February, Sofia Lunn, 7, was treated at Ryder Trauma Center for a traumatic orthopedic injury. Sofia and her family were on a boat in Miami when they encountered rough waves. She was thrown into the air and shattered her femur when she fell back onto the boat, her mother, Sarah Lunn, said.
Sofia was rushed into surgery and received three days of physical therapy at the trauma center.
“We knew that our prayers were answered when we saw our little girl walking with the help of a walker the very next morning,” Lunn said.
Sofia attends therapy near her Southwest Ranches home. Just five months after surgery, she resumed her favorite activities: horseback riding, swimming and mountain climbing.
Families like the Lunns and families from around the world rely on Jackson for traumatic injury care, organ transplants and cancer treatment, Migoya said. The new center will put children dealing with orthopedic conditions and injuries at the forefront.
“The new Shriners Children’s Orthopedic Center at UHealth Jackson children’s care will be a shining example of what is possible when we combine the best of our institutions, scientific research, clinical practice and community service,” UM President Julio Frenk said.
