Local church helps fund new echocardiogram at Hoops Family Children’s Hospital

Patients at Hoops Family Children’s Hospital (HFCH) at Cabell Huntington Hospital can now benefit from the new echocardiogram equipment funded by a gift from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).

(L-R): Kristi Arrowood, executive director of Mountain Health Foundations; Susan Flesher, MD, Marshall Health pediatric hospitalist at Cabell Huntington Hospital (CHH) and chair of Department of Pediatrics at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine (MUSOM); Melanie Akers, director of Hoops Family Children’s Hospital; Jamie Wolfe, state president and regional leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS); Stephen Greenhalgh, Welfare and Self Reliance Manager of LDS; Rachel Stanton, cardiac sonographer at CHH; Dr. Eduardo Pino, medical director of Hoops Family Children’s Hospital; and Jack Stines, MD, Marshall Health pediatric cardiologist and associate professor in the MUSOM, with the new echocardiogram equipment at Hoops Family Children’s Hospital.

An echocardiogram uses sound waves to create pictures of the heart to show blood flow through the heart and heart valves. Pediatric cardiologists will be able to use this equipment to better detect heart disease and other heart conditions, according to Dr. Eduardo Pino, medical director of HFCH and chief medical information officer for Mountain Health Network.

“This generous gift will allow us to provide state-of-the-art images of the hearts of our patients, both the structure and the function,” Dr. Pino said. “We are extremely grateful that the local leadership at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints saw a need and met that need. The impact of their support will benefit our pediatric patients for years to come.”

Jamie Wolfe, state president and regional leader of the Church, and his family, like so many in our community, have had a long relationship with the hospital. Wolfe said the Church is grateful to pay tribute to the capabilities of the hospital’s staff, nurses and doctors.

“As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are motivated by the two great commandments to love God and love our neighbor,” Wolfe said. “With this in mind, we are so grateful to have the opportunity to support Hoops Family Children’s Hospital as it cares for the children of our community. Four of our five children were delivered at Cabell Huntington Hospital, and last fall, our youngest child spent over two weeks in the hospital. When our savior Jesus Christ walked the earth, it is recorded that he healed the sick. We hope and pray that the echocardiogram equipment will help heal the hearts of children for many years to come. We want to give thanks to all the members and friends of the Church who donate so generously so that we are able to support worthy causes such as this.”

To learn more about donating to HFCH through Mountain Health Foundations, visit mountainhealthfoundations.org/donate/.