Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) is the only pediatric cystic fibrosis (CF) care center in the state. Our CF Center is accredited by the national CF Foundation (CFF). This means our center follows national practice guidelines and provides high quality, specialized CF care. Besides taking care of people with CF, our center also participates in CF clinical research and is part of the CFF Therapeutic Development Network. The CF center at ACH also trains future doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers about CF. Currently, around 160 children with CF receive regular care at ACH. Our young adults are transitioned to an adult CF care center around the time of high school graduation. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is the only adult CF Care center in the state accredited by the CFF where more than 100 people with CF receive regular care. Both centers work together very closely to deliver quality care to people living with CF in Arkansas.

CF care requires the expertise of many different team members, both in the hospital and clinic. At ACH, we work as a multi-specialty team along with our patients with CF and their families to achieve the best and safest care. During visits, patients may be seen by a dietitian, social worker, respiratory therapist, nurse, pharmacist, psychologist, and physician. Our goal is to improve the health and quality of life of our patients with CF in a family centered approach. Our center also holds an annual CF Family Education Day that includes topics related to CF care, research, and opportunities for families to network.

The CF Foundation has a national database called the Cystic Fibrosis Patient Registry. All people with CF are invited to participate in the registry. The information collected allows healthcare professionals and researchers to identify health trends, learn about the most effective treatments and design clinical trials for potential new therapies. Every year the registry data is released for public review. Over the past years, the ACH CF care center’s efforts to deliver the best care resulted in improved nutrition and lung health of our children with CF. More information on our center’s data can be found at https://www.cff.org/ccd/ProgramMeasureSummaries?programNumber=37 

• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Accreditation
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Learning and Leadership Collaborative, LLCIV, 2006 for Quality Improvement
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – Quality Care Award , 2010
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Outstanding Partner, 2014