Children’s Hospital of Illinois is pleased to announce Pediatric Cardiology Associates of Northern Illinois (PCANI) is becoming part of the Children’s Hospital Congenital Heart Center, effective July 24, 2011. Children’s Hospital of Illinois and the Children’s Hospital Congenital Heart Center
are part of OSF HealthCare.
The decision by the PCANI physicians – Alfred HuYoung, M.D., Ronald Foran, M.D., and Thomas Shula, M.D. – to join the Children’s Hospital’s Congenital Heart Center team was made after careful consideration of a number of factors including the impact on existing patients and the Rockford community. The new affiliation is expected to allow PCANI to expand congenital heart surgery, complex specialized cardiovascular surgery, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) services. Patients will continue to be cared for in Rockford and the PCANI office.
“For over 25 years my partners and I have provided comprehensive cardiovascular care to the infants, children, adolescents, and adults with congenital heart disease of Northern Illinois. Many patients, who in the past had to leave their home area for advanced care will now, through our affiliation with the Congenital Heart Center of the Children’s Hospital of Illinois, have the opportunity to receive state of the art services in Rockford,” said Dr. Thomas Shula of PCANI. “We believe this will strengthen our commitment to the infants, children, adolescents, and adults with congenital heart disease of Rockford and the Northern Illinois region.”
“Bringing together these two well established programs is an opportunity for dedicated physicians to continue to provide the greatest care and love to their patients and families but to do so by taking advantage of unique strengths of each program,” explained Dr. David Chan, co-director of the Congenital Heart Center. “We are truly blessed to have new colleagues who share our vision of providing the highest level of care and to do so within the foundational philosophy of the OSF medical community. We are very excited to have the opportunity to offer what is truly unique and special to the patients and families of northern Illinois.”
Located at 5701 Strathmoor Drive Suite 1 in Rockford, Illinois, PCANI has a staff of ten in addition to the three physicians. PCANI also has satellite offices in Mendota, Woodstock, DeKalb, Freeport, Sterling, Dixon, and Elgin. Once the transition is complete, the office name will change to OSF Children’s Medical Group – Congenital Heart Center, LLC. PCANI will continue to be based in Rockford and provide comprehensive cardiovascular services to the Rockford community.