Amy Groen, DO, MHA, medical director at Blank Children’s Hospital | li
Amy Groen, DO, MHA, medical director at Blank Children’s Hospital | li
UnityPoint Health – Blank Children’s Hospital is expanding its pediatric care offerings with the launch of a new cardiology clinic. The clinic, opening in September 2025, is established through a partnership with Children’s Nebraska’s Criss Heart Center.
The hospital has been providing pediatric care in Iowa for over 80 years. The new cardiology clinic will be located at 1206 Pleasant Street, Level 2, on the Iowa Methodist Medical Center and Blank Children’s Hospital campus. The team will provide care for infants and children through young adulthood with conditions such as congenital heart disease, cardiac arrhythmia, murmurs, and fainting spells.
Amy Groen, DO, MHA, medical director at Blank Children’s Hospital stated: “We are proud to announce the opening of our pediatric cardiology clinic in partnership with Children’s Nebraska. Blank Children’s is a leader in pediatric care with 32 specialty services right here in Central Iowa. We’re happy to bring expert pediatric cardiology care to our patients and families."
Children’s Nebraska brings expertise in both cardiology and heart surgery to the collaboration. Des Moines-based cardiologist Jill Shivapour, MD will lead patient diagnosis, treatment plans, and follow-up care for various congenital heart defects and related conditions.
Jeffrey Delaney, MD, division chief of pediatric cardiology at Children’s Nebraska said: “Children’s Nebraska is excited to partner with Blank Children’s Hospital. Dr. Shivapour and the team of pediatric cardiologists in Des Moines have a long-standing, excellent practice, and this clinic will optimize access to cardiology care for children in the UnityPoint Health system.”
Blank Children’s Cardiology will operate as a referral-only clinic. Primary care providers can determine if their patients should be referred for specialized cardiac evaluation or procedures such as electrocardiograms (ECG/EKG), echocardiograms (echo), blood pressure monitoring or Holter monitor tests.
The hospital emphasized that it prioritizes keeping patients and their families fully informed throughout diagnosis, treatment planning, and follow-up stages.
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