Nemours Commits to Improving Children’s Health Through Research

Pensacola, Florida
Tuesday, October 02, 2007 @ 03:13 PM EDT
by: Cortney Owens (850) 505-4739

Pensacola, FL - Nemours Children’s Clinic has conducted clinical trials since 1987. Clinical trials are studies done that evaluate new medicines, new devices, new treatments or new applications for old treatments and are conducted by qualified physicians under strict guidance of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Are clinical trials safe? Patient safety is of paramount importance to the FDA, to those conducting the studies, and to everyone at Nemours. In clinical trials, study participants are voluntary, are monitored closely and may refuse any aspect of their study treatment or completely discontinue their participation in the clinical trial at any given time.

At this particular time, Nemours Children’s Clinic in Pensacola, FL is currently participating in 70 research studies in the following pediatric categories:

• Gastroesophagael Reflux (GERD) (A child is said to have GERD when the acid reflux causes significant medical problems such as asthma, sinus or ear infections, apnea, unacceptably low weight gain or esophagitis. GERD may also be diagnosed when the child is so miserable that their quality of life is significantly affected. They require medical treatment in addition to special home care.) Source: www.reflux.org
• Constipation (Constipation is common among children, accounting for an estimated 3 to 5 percent of all visits to pediatricians.) Source: Up To Date Patient Information
• Asthma (Every day in America 40,000 people miss school or work, 30,000 people have an asthma attack, 5,000 people visit the emergency room, 1,000 people are admitted to the hospital and 11 people die due to asthma.) Source: American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology
• Cystic Fibrosis (In 1955, children with cystic fibrosis were not expected to live even to the first grade. Today, the national median life expectancy of those with cystic fibrosis is 36.8 years.) Source: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
• Growth Hormone Deficiency (Most children with GHD grow less than two inches per year; other children usually grow at least two inches yearly.) Source: Virtual Endocrine Centre
• Diabetes (In the United States, about 176,500 people under 20 years of age have diabetes. About 1 in every 400 to 600 children has type 1 diabetes. Each year, more than 13,000 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.) Source: National Diabetes Education Program
• Cancer (Between infancy and 15 years of age, cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children. Approximately 9,500 new cases of pediatric cancer were expected to occur in this age group in 2006. ) Source: National Cancer Institute

Nemours is committed to participate in cutting-edge research in all specialties at all of its locations," said Pauline Todd, Assistant Administrator of Florida Operations. "The wide-range of clinical research services in Pensacola provides regional children innovative care that would otherwise not be available."

Nemours Research Program and Service Highlights:

Nemours’ research efforts are focused on making a difference in the lives of children by shortening the distance between theory and practice. Nemours subsidized research efforts in the amount of $14.3 million in 2006.

Nemours conducted 124 clinical trials, plus 67 federal grants and 42 non-federal grants, for a total of 233 externally funded research studies.

The mission states "Nemours will restore and improve the health of children through care and programs not readily available." As a mission-driven organization, the employees of Nemours are dedicated to improving the lives of children, now and for generations to come. With this commitment and dedication, research plays a very important role.

modified: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 @ 05:43 PM EDT
created: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 @ 03:22 PM EDT

About Nemours

Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.

Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children’s specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received preliminary approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children’s hospital as part of an integrated pediatric health campus in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world’s most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.

Nemours employs over 4,400 individuals, including 430 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2007. The organization’s goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children’s advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at www.nemours.org.