Huntsville Hospital opens new Pediatric Cardiology Clinic, expands heart care for children
Huntsville Hospital Heart Center Pediatric Cardiology will open its doors to patients on Friday, September 6.
The offices of the new practice are located in Suite 101 of the Huntsville Hospital Professional Tower, located at 420 Lowell Drive.
An open house and ribbon cutting for the pediatric cardiology clinic was held on September 4. Mayor Tommy Battle, hospital administrators, community physicians, and local residents were in attendance.
The heart clinic will be staffed by Drs. Daniel Caicedo and Kanya Singhapakdi, board-certified pediatricians with fellowship training in pediatric cardiology.
Drs. Caicedo and Singhapakdi will treat children — from birth to 18 years old — with chronic or acute heart conditions.
Morgan Dennis, vice president of Huntsville Hospital’s Heart Center and Cardiovascular Service Line, was on hand to formally open the new practice and introduce the two physicians to the Huntsville community.
“Over the years, North Alabama has been accustomed to receiving excellent cardiac care from the Huntsville Hospital Heart Center,” said Dennis. “Today, our team includes 55 physicians — including cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and cardiovascular anesthesiologists, as well as nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, nurses, and other professionals.”
Dennis explained that Huntsville Hospital is the primary “provider of cardiac services between Birmingham and Nashville.”
Dennis told the Huntsville Business Journal that he anticipates that roughly 30 patients will be seen daily in the clinic. Physicians will also treat pediatric patients in the main portion of the hospital.
“Twenty percent of Alabamians are under the age of 18,” said Dennis. “That equates to about 300,000 children in the Tennessee Valley alone. That’s a lot of hearts that need care.”
Dr. Caicedo joins the pediatric cardiology practice from The University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he recently completed his pediatric cardiology fellowship. Prior to his time in Mississippi, he completed a residency in pediatrics at Harlem Hospital at Columbia University. Fluent in both English and Spanish, Dr. Caicedo is originally from Ecuador.
Dr. Singhapakdi completed her pediatric cardiology fellowship at Louisiana State University and her residency at the University of South Alabama. Dr. Singhapakdi is originally from the Atlanta area; she earned degrees from Emory University in neuroscience and behavioral biology.
“We are overwhelmed by how welcoming everyone has been,” said Dr. Singhapakdi. “Everyone’s been so kind and encouraging. It’s scary, sometimes, starting something new but we’ve both been trained in the South for so long, and we’re just excited to keep serving the community that we grew up around and trained around. We’re grateful for this opportunity.”
After the ribbon was cut, visitors had the opportunity to tour the offices of the new pediatric cardiology practice.
Asteroid, a golden retriever who is a member of Huntsville Hospital’s Canines for Coping program, was in attendance at the open house. Asteroid was accompanied by her handler, Certified Child Life Specialist Stefani Williams.
“We have two dogs that work at Women and Children and they cover all of our pediatric units as well as our antepartum unit, which is where pregnant women are on bed rest,” Williams told the Business Journal.
Pediatric cardiology patients may visit with those two service dogs when they are receiving care at the hospital.
Asteroid is unique because she exclusively serves Huntsville Hospital staff. Williams anticipates that she and Asteroid will return to the cardiology clinic to provide companionship and emotional support to clinic employees.
The Pediatric Cardiology is now taking referrals.
Follow Asteroid’s adventures on Instagram @HH_CaninesforCoping.
