The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is a children’s hospital located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest pediatric hospital in the United States and one of only two Level I trauma centers for children in the country. The hospital has been ranked as one of “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report for 19 years.
CHOP specializes in the care of infants, children, and adolescents with a wide range of medical conditions, from common to complex. The hospital offers more than 40 pediatric subspecialties, including cancer, cardiology, genetic counseling, neurosurgery, orthopedics, and transplantation.
In addition to its main campus in Philadelphia, CHOP also operates satellite locations throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The organization also provides community-based primary care through its network of more than 50 Pediatric Primary Care Centers located across four states.
The history of CHOP began in 1855 when Thomas Jefferson University Hospital admitted its first child patient. In 1872, a group of philanthropists led by banker Anthony Drexel provided funding to establish a free bedside clinic for sick children at Jefferson Hospital—the first initiative of its kind in the United States. In 1886, construction began on a new building specifically designed for sick children—the nation’s first stand-alone children’s hospital—and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia opened its doors two years later. From these humble beginnings grew an institution that would go on to change the face of pediatric medicine both locally and globally.
Over the next century and a half, CHOP continued to expand its physical footprint and scope of services while maintaining its commitment to providing high-quality patient care regardless of a family’s ability to pay. Today CHOP is recognized as a world leader in pediatrics; each year we welcome patients from around the globe who seek our specialized expertise not available anywhere else. Our research enterprise ranks #3 among all U S hospitals receiving NIH funding; our neonatal intensive care unit is consistently ranked #1 or #2 nationwide by Parents magazine; our cardiac surgery program has been ranked #1 three times by U S News & World Report;we are 1of only 4 hospitals designated as National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers –the only such center focused solely on childhood cancer;and we operate 1of 2 Level I trauma centers serving pediatric patients in Pennsylvania . We are truly unique —a place where hope meets healing every day