Lurie Children's transplant teams had a record-breaking year, performing a total of 140 pediatric transplants, including heart, kidney, stem cell and liver. The transplant volumes position Lurie Children's as one of the top pediatric transplant centers in the nation. Specifically, the hospital's Heart Center led the nation in performing 30 pediatric heart transplants, and the kidney transplant center was similarly the nation's busiest, with 44 kidney transplants. Such achievements are a testament to the hospital's multidisciplinary expertise and innovations in treating medically complex conditions and are matched by the highest outcome measures.
In March 2024, Lurie Children's treated its first patient with Elevidys, the first gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). A rare and life-limiting genetic disease characterized by progressive muscle damage and weakness, DMD begins in infancy and primarily affects boys. After participating in clinical trials, the Lurie Children's team was the first in Illinois to administer the treatment after Elevidys received FDA approval. Administered as a one-time intravenous infusion, the therapy addresses the root genetic cause of Duchenne and though not a cure, can stabilize muscle strength and function.
We held two groundbreaking ceremonies this year to celebrate bringing care closer to our patients. The Austin HOPE Center will provide a number of specialty services and community health programs aimed at promoting both mental and physical health, with the goal of providing preventive care in the community - and with the community - instead of in our ER. The Schaumburg outpatient facility will offer specialty care across 20 specialties as well as an Ambulatory Infusion Center. The Infusion Center is an important step forward in pediatric cancer care and immunotherapy. When it opens in late summer 2025, it will be the first pediatric-only infusion center located outside of a hospital in the region.
Advocacy, a key pillar of our mission, leverages our authoritative voice to influence pediatric health at the policy and population level. Our experts share data, expertise and testimony to shape public policy for children. Lurie Children's covers the shortfall between free and under-reimbursed Medicaid care consistent with our commitment to treat all children regardless of ability to pay; nearly 60 percent of our inpatient stays in 2024 were for children insured by Medicaid. Through aggressive advocacy at the state level, we secured policy changes that will result in unprecedented increases in Medicaid funding, totaling $32 million in FY24 that will be annualized to $53 million in FY25. In FY24, the institution invested $260.7 million in unreimbursed charity care, under-reimbursement from caring for patients insured by Medicaid and community benefit programs.