Lehigh Valley Health Network and its subsidiaries, which include Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, announced an affiliation agreement that will enhance the care, health outcomes and well-being of families throughout the region.

The affiliation is guided by the principle that children requiring care should see the most appropriate clinical team in a timely fashion and in the most appropriate location that is closest to their home and family.

The CHOP-LVHN affiliation is designed to enable both organizations to optimally care for children in the region - including those with high-risk, high-complexity, rare and acute diagnoses. Together, these organizations will work to ensure each patient has access to high-quality care in the location that best serves their and their families’ needs.

“When it comes to complex issues, the stronger the relationships and the more channels of communications, the more effective the care,” said J. Nathan Hagstrom, MD, Physician in Chief, Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital. “This affiliation is going to help us go beyond the referral process. It’s about building relationships and working together to provide our patients with the best care.”

Clinicians from LVHN and CHOP have a long-standing relationship, previously collaborating across numerous clinical areas in the care of local families. This new affiliation creates a more formalized process to support these shared patients, providing access to CHOP’s expertise in rare and complex diseases while harnessing LVHN’s comprehensive, exceptional pediatric care.

“The CHOP-LVHN affiliation will strengthen the channels of communication, cooperation and learning between two world-class children’s hospitals to ultimately improve the overall care and experience for patients and their families,” said Steve Docimo, MD, Executive Vice President, Business Development and Strategy at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

This affiliation will also advance the educational and research capabilities of both organizations, identifying opportunities to build shared programs and services.

“When a family arrives at any LVHN location, we are able to guide them to the most appropriate level of care to meet their needs – whether it’s within our own institution or through our affiliation with CHOP,” said Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital President Anne Baum. “This affiliation gives our patients and families the confidence that their children are in the best hands, receiving high-quality care at the location that best meets their individual needs.”

A nonprofit, charitable organization, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation’s first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric health care professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, the 595-bed hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country.

Lehigh Valley Health Network includes 13 hospital campuses, including one in East Stroudsburg, and one in Lehighton, and 20 ExpressCARE locations including the area’s only Children’s ExpressCARE.

Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, the third largest children’s hospital in Pennsylvania, offers the most comprehensive care for children in the community, from primary care to pediatric specialties.