At Children’s Mercy, one of our greatest achievements is helping critically-ill children avoid transplant. Still, some children require a transplant to survive, and when that’s the case, our expert clinicians are able to meet that need at the Brendan Tripp Elam Transplant Center.

Determining where to send a child who may need an organ transplant should begin as early as possible in the disease process. Our experienced kidney, liver, and heart teams lead comprehensive treatment programs to manage disease and provide optimal outcomes for patients. 

When children do need a transplant to survive, our team is there to help guide you through the process. With the development of the center, we have brought the expertise of our staff in each of our transplant programs together into a collaborative environment to further enhance care, advance research and improve outcomes.

Safer medications

Children’s Mercy is committed to finding safer, more effective medications for children. We offer the largest pediatric clinical pharmacology program in North America, with numerous staff double board-certified in clinical pharmacology and pediatric subspecialties. The knowledge gained from these programs helps us better understand the origins of many complex disorders and the needs of transplant patients who often require a lifetime of complex medication management.

Psychosocial support

The unique needs of hospitalized children go beyond highly specialized clinical care. Children’s Mercy provides comprehensive psychosocial support to address the unique needs of transplant patients. Transplant social workers play an important role in linking families to community resources and support, including developing plans to address financial needs. Psychologists on the transplant team are involved from start to finish to help children and their families successfully adapt to and cope with the significant life changes that come with a transplant. Children’s Mercy has one of the largest Child Life staffs in the country to offer education, comfort and resources for patients and families.

In addition, we offer on-site school services for patients whose care leading up to and following transplant may require long hospital stays. During hospitalization, families may find respite in one of the nation’s first Ronald McDonald Family Rooms within the hospital or they may stay at one of the three Ronald McDonald Houses located adjacent to the hospital. This allows them to be close to their children and provide the physical and emotional support they require.

Expert care

The transplant team at Children’s Mercy has been specially trained to meet the unique needs of the pediatric patient and their families.