Families in Boca Raton who often had to make long, out-of-county trips for pediatric heart checkups now have a much shorter drive. Nicklaus Children’s Health System has opened a pediatric specialty care center in Boca Raton focused on heart health, bringing routine cardiology follow ups and diagnostics closer to home. The clinic is designed to cut down on long commutes for infants and young patients who need repeated testing and follow up, which for local parents means less stress and more convenience for routine heart care.
What the Boca clinic offers
According to Nicklaus Children's Health System, the Boca center provides pediatric cardiology services such as routine EKGs, echocardiograms, event and Holter monitoring, and fetal cardiac evaluations during pregnancy. The clinic is part of the Heart Institute’s outpatient network and will see patients from newborns through young adults under 21.
Doctors and parents describe relief
Dr. Donna Rhoden, a fetal and pediatric cardiologist, told CBS12 that having specialists nearby "is a big deal" for families, noting that long trips for routine tests can be "very taxing" on parents and young children. Boca resident Susan Kaplan told the station that making a three hour drive to Miami with a child in pain is especially hard, and said that having care closer to home will ease that burden.
Free EKGs for young athletes
The Boca location will also take part in Nicklaus Children’s free EKG screening program for student athletes ages 5 to 21. The hospital reports that the community initiative has conducted more than 92,000 screenings since 2011, identified roughly 2,700 abnormal EKGs, and led to dozens of follow up interventions. Per Nicklaus Children's Health System, these screenings are available by appointment at outpatient centers and at community events.
Why access matters
Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect, affecting about one in every 100 babies born in the United States, which makes easy outpatient access to diagnostics and follow up care crucial for early detection and long term treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 40,000 infants in the U.S. are born with a heart defect each year.
Health officials told CBS12 that the Boca expansion is intended to meet growing demand as more families move into the area. Local leaders said the Heart Institute's closer footprint should help ensure that even complicated care is less disruptive to everyday family life.
