Florida Hospital for Children nationally ranked in neonatology by U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, ranked Florida Hospital for Children's neonatology program No. 42 in the nation in the new 2018-19 Best Children's Hospitals rankings released today.

The 12th annual Best Children's Hospitals rankings recognize the top 50 pediatric facilities across the U.S. in 10 pediatric specialties: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology.

'Florida Hospital for Children provides the highest quality, most advanced and compassionate care to the children and families we serve, and this first-ever ranking is a recognition of that steadfast commitment,' said Daryl Tol, president and CEO of Florida Hospital and the Central Florida Division of Adventist Health System. "Delivering a baby prematurely or having a critically ill child is a very stressful time for parents. Our stellar team of talented nurses, physicians and volunteers ' who care for more than 2,000 babies in our neonatal intensive care unit each year ' demonstrate their compassion and unmatched skill every day.''

The U.S. News Best Children's Hospitals highlight pediatric centers that deliver state-of-the-art medical care to children with complex conditions,' said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News. 'Children with life-threatening or rare conditions need the level of quality care that these hospitals deliver day after day.'

U.S. News introduced the Best Children's Hospitals rankings in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available. They are the only comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals.

This year's rankings will be published in the U.S. News & World Report's 'Best Hospitals 2019' guidebook (ISBN 9781931469906), available in stores late September.