Abstract
Context: Save a Child's Heart addresses the challenges of heart care for children in underdeveloped countries.
Objective: Save a Child's Heart has created a center of excellence for pediatric cardiac care at the Wolfson Medical Center in Israel, helped develop partner sites for evaluation and referral, and trained medical teams to return and build their own capacity for local cardiac care.
Results: Save a Child's Heart has treated more than 3600 children from 48 countries, with 50% from Iraq, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Syria. In cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, Save a Child's Heart has examined more than 6000 children and treated 1750 children, trained 21 medical personnel, and conducted seminars for Palestinian medical personnel. The "Heart of the Matter Project," funded by the European Union, US Agency for International Development, the Palestinian Ministry of Health, and the Israeli Ministry of Regional Cooperation, is currently training a team at the Wolfson Medical Center from the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah and provides funds for Palestinian children's care in Israel.
Conclusions: Save a Child's Heart is a model of a global humanitarian health care initiative with a single focus on heart disease in children. The "Heart of the Matter Project" is a model of health care based on regional cooperation despite local political tensions.