MacCutcheon Family's Gift Continues Legacy of Supporting Children with Congenital Heart Disease

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With a $2 million gift from James A. "Jim" MacCutcheon and his family, Children's National Health System has established the MacCutcheon Family Professorship in Cardiac Critical Care Medicine to ensure world-class care for children in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). The gift was made by Mr. MacCutcheon and his daughters, Megan MacCutcheon, Candice Kessler, and Colleen Crowley.

This endowed professorship allows Children's National to establish a new position, Chief of Cardiac Critical Care Medicine and Co-Director of Children's National's Heart Institute, to help optimize outcomes for vulnerable cardiac patients and pursue new treatments, therapies, and cures. Annually, Children's National treats nearly 20,000 patients in need of specialized cardiac care, including children in the CICU facing and recovering from cardiovascular surgery, experiencing advanced heart failure, or in need of mechanical circulatory support.

Kurt Newman, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Children's National, said, "We are grateful for the MacCutcheon family's tremendous leadership and philanthropic support of Children's National over the past three decades. By establishing this new professorship, Jim and his daughters are helping elevate the level of care we can provide for our sickest cardiac patients."

This generous gift builds on 34 years of support and leadership from Jim MacCutcheon, who currently serves on the Children's Hospital Foundation Board and the Bearacuda Board, a financial advisory board for the hospital.  Among other generous gifts to Children's National, the MacCutcheon family established the Halle MacCutcheon Playroom and the MacCutcheon Family Cardiovascular Operating Suite.

About Children's National Health System:
Children's National Health System, based in Washington, D.C., has been serving the nation's children since 1870. Children's National is #1 for babies and ranked in every specialty evaluated by U.S. News & World Report including placement in the top 10 for: Cancer (#7), Neurology and Neurosurgery (#9) Orthopaedics (#9) and Nephrology (#10). Children's National has been designated two times as a Magnet® hospital, a designation given to hospitals that demonstrate the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers. Home to the Children's Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children's National is one of the nation's top NIH-funded pediatric institutions. Children's National is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels. For more information, visit ChildrensNational.org.

SOURCE Children's National Health System