TITLE: Recognizing March 12, 2025, as Children's Health ECMO Day at the State Capitol.

SUMMARY: Recognizing March 12, 2025, as Children's Health ECMO Day at the State Capitol.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Representatives of Children's Health in Dallas are gathering on March 12, 2025, to commemorate Children's Health ECMO Day at the State Capitol; and WHEREAS, Pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a life-support system for critically ill children with heart or lung problems, and the specialists of the ECMO team at Children's Health in Dallas are dedicated to providing advanced, round-the-clock care to young patients who are in need of this innovative form of therapy; and WHEREAS, ECMO works by circulating a patient's blood through a machine that removes carbon dioxide and adds oxygen; a child can receive ECMO therapy for several days to weeks while undergoing care at Children's Health, during which time they are treated by a specialist team in the hospital's pediatric intensive care unit; and WHEREAS, Located in the Southwestern Medical District in the heart of Dallas, Children's Health has been the primary clinical partner of UT Southwestern Medical Center since 1961; over the past 35 years, the hospital has provided extracorporeal life support to more than 1,200 patients, giving them hope for survival when all other forms of conventional life support have failed; and WHEREAS, The ECMO program at Children's Health has received international recognition as a Platinum Center of Excellence from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization; Children's was also the first institution in the world to have its ECMO educational program endorsed by ELSO, following a review of the course in March 2017; and WHEREAS, Bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to their work, the ECMO specialists at Children's Health include Drs. Ethan Sanford, Archana Dhar, Cindy Darnell-Bowens, Lakshmi Raman, Amy Lee, Priya Bhaskar, and Sam Davila, registered nurses Marshall Stephenson, Laura Hatton, Margarita Ramos, William Smiley, Brittany Cramer, Amy Hadley, Kari Powers, Michael Williams, Emily Collins, and Ricardo Medrano, and registered respiratory therapists Donna Taylor, Shannon Mills, Kevin Lovett, Bob Villanueva, George Sutherland, Dan Hill, Darla Lytton, and John Darling; and WHEREAS, Through their commitment to the effective delivery of ECMO therapy at Children's Health, these dedicated medical professionals have helped many critical care patients on the path to recovery, and it is indeed fitting that they be recognized for their invaluable contributions; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas Legislature hereby recognize March 12, 2025, as Children's Health ECMO Day at the State Capitol and honor the members of the ECMO team at Children's Health for their exceptional service to North Texas families; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the team as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Anch a Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 518 was adopted by the House on March 12, 2025, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House