12 by 2030 Initiative

Transforming the future of heart care

Ngan reading a picture book with her mom.

Just ten years ago, the heart surgery Ngan received wasn’t possible. Today, it is thanks to Children’s HeartLink partnerships.

But millions of children still don’t have that chance. Every 5 minutes, 9 children born with congenital heart disease go without the heart care they need to survive and thrive.

We’re committed to changing this and you can join us.
Donate now!

More Centers + More Clinicians + More Children Served

Children’s HeartLink is committed to doubling our Centers of Excellence from 6 to 12 by 2030.

When we reach this goal, we will train more clinicians, strengthen entire care teams and bring lifesaving heart care to the children born every day who urgently need it. Our model is proven. It works. And its success is already visible in our first six Centers of Excellence.
Donate now to 12 by 2030!

Children’s HeartLink Centers of Excellence Around the World

Brazil: São José do Rio Preto: Hospital da Criança e Maternidade

China: Chengdu: West China Hospital of Sichuan University
India: Bangalore: Narayana Hrudayalaya Institute of Cardiac Sciences

India: Kochi: Amrita Hospital Kochi

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur: Institut Jantung Negara (National Heart Institute)

Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City: Nhi Dong 1 (Children’s Hospital 1)
Vietnam: Hanoi: Vietnam National Children’s Hospital

Why Centers of Excellence?

Children’s HeartLink Centers of Excellence expands critical access to pediatric heart care by serving as:

Regional trainers
lifting up peers and strengthening quality of care across their communities
Man lecturing to room full of students using a simple whiteboard.

High-quality heart care providers
to ensure more children receive the treatment they need to survive and thrive Dr. Truong demonstrating with hands in front of MRI image.

Trusted resources
for local governments working to expand access to heart care
Large conference room with microphones on tables filled with people and a presentation screen in the background.

“The world needs to wake up to this global crisis. Millions of children and babies are dying from a treatable illness. This heart health lottery means that their survival is determined by local access to high-quality healthcare.”

—Dr. KK, Clinical Professor and Head of the Department of Pediatric Cardiology at Amrita Hospital Kochi

The Impact of Children’s HeartLink Centers of Excellence

From training activities to holistic treatment plans to knowledge sharing, Children’s HeartLink Centers of Excellence are leading the way in pediatric heart care in low-resource environments. Below are a few examples of the impact Centers of Excellence are having:

XR Pilot Program: A global approach to improving care for children with congenital heart disease using new technology to advance medical training and education.

More on revolutionizing heart care training with extended reality

Two nurses checking on infant lying in a hospital crib.

Children’s HeartLink Center of Excellence Vietnam National Children’s Hospital now performs 1,700 heart surgeries annually, compared to treating only 300 congenital heart disease cases a year when they started their partnership with us.

More about Vietnam National Children’s Hospital

Children’s HeartLink Center of Excellence Amirta Hospital, Kochi, India screens 10,000 children a year, fast-tracks 350+ infants to early surgery with a 98% success rate, and leads national training and research.

More about Amrita Hospital, Kochi

Hospital da Criança e Maternidade (HCM), the Children’s HeartLink Center of Excellence in Brazil, is partnering with Children’s HeartLink as we enter a discovery phase in Africa. In August 2024, HCM clinicians traveled with Children’s HeartLink staff to Angola to meet with and assess a hospital there.

In the coming years, we plan to explore partnerships with hospitals in Africa to build capacity for pediatric and congenital heart care. An estimated 500,000 children are born with congenital heart disease (CHD) each year in Africa, resulting annually in 34,000 preventable deaths. Become a part of this exploratory phase and support our efforts to address the growing burden of heart disease in children to ensure every child has access to lifesaving care.

In partnership with the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society, we piloted their Advanced  Practice Provider curriculum course for pediatric cardiac critical care nurses with  Institut Jantung Negara, Children’s HeartLink Center of Excellence, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Following this training, the hospital adapted the curriculum and is now teaching it on a regular basis. Developing a reusable curriculum that is designed to reach more nurses. The impact is clear: more education opportunities for nurses means better care for children after surgery. This is how we expand access to high-quality heart care.

Children’s HeartLink Centers of Excellence are making transformative changes to pediatric heart care.

See their work in action

Imagine a future where there are twice as many regional training hubs that are providing a lifeline for thousands more children to receive heart care.

Will you invest today in the 12 by 2030 initiative to transform pediatric heart care? Donate now.

About Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease is the leading cause of infant death from birth defects—a deformation of the structure of the heart. Without access to high-quality care, most children in low-resource settings will die from conditions that are treatable.

Where a child is born should not determine whether they survive.

1 in 100

infants are born with congenital heart disease

1 in 4

need surgery in their first year of life to survive

90%

have no realiable access to pediatric heart care

Get Involved in 12 by 2030

The road to 12 Centers of Excellence by 2030 will be achieved if we all work together toward a world where all children have access to high-quality heart care. Regional training hubs spark lasting change—building local expertise, expanding access to specialized care and transforming the lives of thousands of children worldwide.