Facts About Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Fast Facts

• Founded in 1901, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is the oldest freestanding children’s hospital in California. Known back then as “the little house on Castelar Street,” the hospital admitted 14 patients during that first year of operation, and opened the “surgery suite” in the pantry.
• Admits 14,600 inpatients per year
• Nearly 343,753 outpatient visits per year
• Nearly 72,000 Emergency Department visits per year
• More than 6,400 employees and approximately 862 medical staff at Children's Hospital Los Angeles
• Current active hospital bed count: 401
• Marion and John E. Anderson Pavilion bed count: 317
• 106 pediatric critical care beds (more than any other hospital in the western United States)
• Average length of stay: 6.7 days
• 451 clinical trials currently offered

Did You Know? Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is…

• The only freestanding Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center in Los Angeles County approved by the County Department of Health Services and accredited by the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons
• One of the largest pediatric transport programs in the nation, transferring 2,267 patients by helicopter, Learjet and ambulance a year
• One of the country’s premier teaching hospitals, affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California since 1932
• One of only eight children’s hospitals in the nation -- and the only on the West Coast -- ranked in all 10 pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report
• One of just seven children’s hospitals to be designated a “Top Hospital” for 2010 by The Leapfrog Group, and the only one in the western United States
• Designated as a Magnet Hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (an honor held by only seven percent of hospitals nationwide) -- more than 50 percent of hospital nurses possess national certification while more than 35 percent are certified as Advanced Practice Nurses
• A leader in organ transplants, having performed more than 1,400 pediatric heart, lung, liver, intestinal and kidney procedures -- The Liver Transplant program performs the largest number of living donor transplants in the country

Research for Children

The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is among the largest and most productive pediatric research centers in the western United States. With $129.9 million in total funding and $32.4 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding more than 237 principal investigators are aligned into four inclusive research themes: Best Starts to Life, From Discovery to Pediatric Care Innovation, Personalized Prevention and Care, and Pediatric Disease Models and Mechanisms. The hospital is eighth in the nation among children’s hospitals for NIH funding.

One of the country’s premier teaching hospitals, CHLA has been affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of USC since 1932.

The best pediatricians in the country are trained at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; training programs include 360 medical students, 433 student shadowers, 100 full-time residents, three chief residents and 128 fellows. For the past 20 years, 97 percent of those graduating from the Children’s Hospital Residency Program passed the American Board of Pediatrics exam on the first attempt, far above the national average of 75 to 80 percent.

Leaders in Cancer and Blood Treatments

Cancer and Blood Disease Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is one of the nation’s largest pediatric hematology-oncology programs. Physicians are leaders in their field, and treatments set the standard of care. The Institute performs half of all bone marrow transplants in Los Angeles County.

Growing Strong

The Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is at the forefront of patient care and research in diabetes, obesity, growth, bone, metabolism and endocrinology. It provides care to nearly 1,740 children with diabetes and 4,670 children with other endocrine disorders.

The 58-bed Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit (NICCU) offers the highest level of neonatal care available, treating the most critically ill preemies, newborns and infants in Southern California. 

Critical Care in the Womb

The Center for Fetal and Neonatal Medicine provides innovative treatment for complex issues faced by mothers and their unborn children. The Center also treats the most critically ill preemies, newborns and infants in Southern California.

From Fractures to Bone Tumors and Beyond

Jackie and Gene Autry Orthopedic Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is one of the nation’s most comprehensive programs dedicated to pediatric musculoskeletal care, education and research. The Center sees 23,000 patients and performs 1,780 orthopedic surgeries annually.

Eye Care Expertise

The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is the largest pediatric ophthalmology program in the U.S. It’s the only one in the country to provide nearly all available pediatric eye services and treatments, with counseling and support for families. Nearly 20 percent of all retinoblastoma cases diagnosed annually in the United States are treated at The Vision Center.

Big Care for Small Hearts

The Heart Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is a worldwide leader in the treatment of heart disease and lung disorders in children. It is one of the busiest cardiac programs in the country, and serves as a global patient referral center. Physicians here provide care to about 8,000 children per year.

Top Medical Staff

Children’s Hospital has approximately 862 medical staff. The best pediatricians in the country are trained at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; training programs include 527 medical students, 89 full-time residents, three chief residents and 111 fellows. For the past 20 years, 97 percent of those graduating from the Children’s Hospital Residency Program passed the American Board of Pediatrics exam on the first attempt, far above the national average of 75 to 80 percent.

Minor Surgery, Major Care

Physicians at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles perform more than 15,500 pediatric surgeries each year -- more complex procedures than any other hospital in Southern California. Children’s Hospital also offers 12 surgery centers throughout the Los Angeles area for more ways to access care.