Four Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU specialties nationally ranked
by U.S. News & World Report

Cancer, nephrology, pulmonology and urology care rank among top 50 in the country

RICHMOND, Va., (June 16, 2020) — Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR) ranked among the nation’s top 50 children’s hospitals in the 2020-21 U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. The hospital was recognized for excellence in four specialties:

• Cancer: #49
• Nephrology: #43
• Pulmonology: #29
• Urology: #29

“This recognition is a humbling reminder of the work our team does each and every day to give kids the best shot at a healthy future,” said Elias Neujahr, CEO of CHoR. “We’re honored to be ranked among the nation’s best, not for the accolades, but for what access to this level of care means for kids right here in our community.”

This is the sixth time CHoR has ranked in nephrology; second for pulmonology; and first for cancer and urology. CHoR is the only hospital in Virginia that ranked in cancer care, nephrology and pulmonology.

“The rankings are a reflection of our growth, and recognition of the stature of our programs and people,” said Bruce Rubin, M.D., physician-in-chief of CHoR and Jessie Ball duPont Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics. “Our clinical care, highly-specialized procedures and innovative research attract patients from across the Commonwealth and even outside of the U.S. This growth has been enthusiastically supported by our community and the Children’s Hospital Foundation.”

The 14th annual Best Children’s Hospitals rankings recognize the top 50 pediatric facilities across the U.S. in 10 pediatric specialties. The rankings rely on clinical data and on an annual survey of pediatric specialists. The rankings methodology factors in patient outcomes, such as mortality and infection rates, as well as available clinical resources and compliance with best practices.

“This recognition is a reflection of our team’s dedication to leading quality and safety initiatives that improve pediatric health care, ultimately giving kids the chance to just be kids,” said Jeniece Roane, associate vice president of clinical operations and associate chief nursing officer at CHoR. “Our specialties were recognized for their advanced treatment options, patient outcomes, team approach to care, research, education of future pediatric specialists and so much more. Families should rest easy knowing they have a tremendous pediatric resource in their backyard, and a compassionate, expert team ready when they need us.”

Roane said U.S. News’ rankings take into account everything from kidney transplant outcomes and reducing asthma-related ER visits to robotic urological surgery volume and cancer survival rates.

Survival rates, adequacy of nurse staffing, procedure and patient volume, availability of programs for particular illnesses and conditions and much more are available on the U.S. News website and will be published in the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals 2020” guidebook.

“Even in the midst of a pandemic, children have health care needs ranging from routine vaccinations to life-saving surgery and chemotherapy,” said Ben Harder, managing editor and chief of health analysis at U.S. News. “The Best Children's Hospitals rankings are designed to help parents find quality medical care for a sick child and inform families’ conversations with pediatricians.”

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About VCU and VCU Health

Virginia Commonwealth University is a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research. Located in downtown Richmond, VCU enrolls more than 30,000 students in 233 degree and certificate programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Twenty-two of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU’s 11 schools and three colleges. The VCU Health brand represents the VCU health sciences academic programs, the VCU Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Health System, which comprises VCU Medical Center (the only academic medical center in the region), Community Memorial Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, MCV Physicians and Virginia Premier Health Plan. For more, please visit vcu.edu and vcuhealth.org.