Area of Impact: Pediatric Cardiac Care
Since 2016, MercyOne Children’s Hospital has served as one of Principal Charity Classic (PCC) Tournament Charity Partners. Proceeds from Principal Charity Classic have impacted the pediatric cardiac care program at MercyOne Children’s Hospital in meaningful ways.
Every year at PCC, we feature MercyOne Children Hospital Heart Superheroes, who are all former patients who experienced life-saving cardiac care surgeries and procedures through the pediatric cardiac care program.
Congenital heart defects are one of the most common birth defects. In the United States, one in 100 children are born with a congenital heart defect every year.
“Having a congenital heart defect is a lifelong disease,” said Jessica Zuzga-Reed, D.O., FAAP, Associate Chief Medical Officer for MercyOne Children’s Hospital. “We [MercyOne Children’s Hospital] have the only pediatric cardiac care center in central Iowa.”
Dr. Zuzga-Reed leads the pediatric critical care team and David Hockmuth, M.D., leads the pediatric cardiac surgery program. Dr. Hockmuth is Iowa’s only board-certified congenital heart surgeon (pediatric and adult) in central Iowa and the state’s longest-practicing pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, with more than 30 years of service at MercyOne Des Moines and Iowa Heart Center. On average, 100 surgical cases are conducted annually through this program. The program is also comprised of an expert team of pediatric cardiologists, perfusionists, anesthesiologists and nurses.
“We are a hidden gem of a cardiac care program taking care of children from fetal life to adulthood,” said Dr. Zuzga-Reed.
“Our team is small, but we are mighty,” said Jaime Davis, RN, cardiac care nurse at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center and member of the pediatric cardiac surgical care team. “We are very experienced and have worked together for years.”
The collective work this program is very impressive. The pediatric cardiac care program consistently achieves low mortality rates, staying well below the national average. Throughout the whole process, this team focuses on providing innovative and personalized care to every patient.
Our partnership with PCC allows us and other charity partners to share our comprehensive story of philanthropy in a meaningful way. PCC’s generosity has helped us reach thousands of children through MercyOne Children’s Hospital. On a deeply personal level, PCC touches each child and each family we have the privilege to serve through transformational care. PCC provides an important platform to tell these personalized stories of impact to national and international audiences.
For more information, visit MercyOne.org/heart-superheroes
About MercyOne Children’s Hospital
MercyOne is a connected system of health care facilities and services dedicated to helping people and communities live their best life. MercyOne’s care providers and staff make health the highest priority. The system’s clinics, medical centers, hospitals and affiliates are located throughout the state of Iowa and beyond. Headquartered in central Iowa, MercyOne was founded in 1998 through a collaboration between CommonSpirit Health and Trinity Health – two of the country’s foremost, not-for-profit Catholic health organizations.
