At 21 weeks pregnant with their first child, Reese, Taylor and Caleb Jeter received life-changing news: their unborn daughter had fetal heart block, a rare condition that disrupts the heart’s electrical system and can cause a dangerously slow heartbeat.

Living overseas at the time, the family was referred to Children's Mercy, where a multidisciplinary team of specialists came together to guide them through the remainder of the pregnancy and prepare for Reese’s complex care needs after birth.

Through careful monitoring and coordinated care, Reese was safely delivered and underwent surgery shortly after birth to support her heart. Along the way, the Jeters developed deep trust in the experts at Children’s Mercy who cared for both their daughter and their family.

After Reese’s diagnosis, Taylor learned she had Sjögren’s disease, an autoimmune condition that can increase the risk of fetal heart block during pregnancy. So, when the couple learned they were expecting a second child, Tate, they worked closely with their medical team and hoped for a different outcome.

See the full story via KCTV 5

The Ward Family Heart Center at Children's Mercy

Children’s Mercy Kansas City will transform its main campus with the biggest single capital investment in the hospital system's 129-year history — a $1 billion-plus patient tower on Hospital Hill.

Children's Mercy on Wednesday formally announced an expansion of its flagship Adele Hall Campus with an acute care patient tower fronting Gillham Road.

Early plans call for a new home for the hospital's pediatric and neonatal intensive care units, as well as an expansion of its emergency department to increase patient capacity. The tower is in the early stages of design, the hospital system said.

"The complexity of pediatric care continues to evolve, and we find ourselves at a point of great responsibility with the promises that we've made to the community, when we are the only quaternary pediatric enterprise in about a 200-mile radius," Children's Mercy CEO Dr. Alejandro Quiroga said in an interview. "So capacity, when we are in such a position of responsibility, is a big issue, and when we do analysis, we know that, to be able to have a bed available for everybody, we're going to have to grow the acute care part of our facilities."

Read the full article via The Kansas City Business Journal

PRESS RELEASE: Children’s Mercy Announces New Acute Care Tower at Adele Hall Campus to Meet Urgent Growing Pediatric Needs