Congenital heart disease is still the leading cause of death from birth defects in the U.S. That’s why the team at MGHfC partners with DOCF to make sure every child who needs heart care gets it—no matter how complex the case.

PALS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support Certification, is required for medical professionals.
The initial course is a sixteen-hour, two-day course developed by the American Heart Association. The refresher course is an eight-hour, one-day class. Many of the smaller, non-academically affiliated hospitals in Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire do not have the qualified personnel, equipment or resources to ensure their pediatric providers have the initial PALS training and refresher training.

This DOCF-funded training program educated and certified 10-15 care providers at each New England hospital – a total of 100-150 care providers – and positively impacted the lives of more than 1,000 pediatric patients in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont.
Each surgery carries an unreimbursed cost of at least $5,000—often much more depending on the child’s condition and insurance. DOCF helps cover these costs for about 15 kids every year.