Matthew Hales from Idaho Falls was just 9 Years old when a visit to the eye doctor for severe headaches turned into an emergency trip to Primary Children’s Hospital for a Brain Tumor.

“To be completely honest, my initial reaction was, I was very scared and I thought, I haven’t had enough time with him. 9 years isn’t enough and I was worried I might lose him, initially I was very afraid.” say’s Jen Hales, Matt’s Mom

Matthew Hales, former Primary Children’s hospital patient say’s “I didn’t even know what a tumor was so I was just scared confused obviously shocked that was going on, then we went to Primary Children’s and they treated us like they were waiting for us, it was nice, I was able to relax.”

Doctors at Primary Children’s were able to fully remove the tumor the size of a small apricot from Matt’s brain. Parents Jen and Jason it was one of the scariest moment of their lives – one they couldn’t have gotten through without an incredibly supportive staff.

“I was also so impressed with everybody, the techs, and the child life specialists, Matt said a couple of times, “that hotel was kind of fun” – we would say that wasn’t a hotel that was a hospital and he would say, oh yeah, that’s what I meant. but they kept him busy they kept him entertained and the overall experience could not have been better.” ~ Jen Hales

Matt’s Family aren’t the only ones who feel that way. Primary Children’s hospital was just honored by US News and World report. The Utah Children’s Hospital is being called one of the nation’s best for 8 different specialties.

“We are very proud of those results, we had eight specialties ranked in the top ten this year, three in the top 25, Three of those actually in the top ten for patient outcomes so we feel that we get to tell our story to the community and they know in a transparent way the quality of care we get to deliver,” says Dustin Lipson, Primary Children’s Administrator

The reach of Primary Children’s is massive in terms of Patients and where they come from. The 289-bed facility was judged against some of the largest and most well-funded organizations in the country and came out on top. An honor the hospital says is because of the passion of its people.

“So for us, that’s the aim – the aim is to be ranked in all 10, to be as high as we can be in every subspecialty and give the kind of care our community deserves. So for us, there is no one – there is getting better in everything” ~ Dustin Lipson, Primary Children’s hospital

And speaking of getting better – that’s exactly what Matt has done the last six years. He is now 15, competing in obstacle course racing, and say’s people are surprised when they find out he had a brain tumor. It’s an incredible recovery, his dad attributes to incredible care.

“I’m honestly not surprised to hear that they ranked number one for I believe it was for neurosurgery patient outcomes, I think that’s fantastic and I feel like it is because of the care matt received at Primary Children’s that we are able to share his story because by sharing this story more people can have the type of outcome that Matt had.” ~Jason Hale

U.S. News & World Report has ranked Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital as one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals in eight specialties — with three specialties moving up into the top 25 in the nation, and one tied for first inpatient outcomes — according to the publication’s new 2020-2021 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings published online today.

Primary Children’s is part of Intermountain Healthcare, a nationally recognized not-for-profit healthcare system based in Utah, and serves as the pediatric specialty teaching hospital for the University of Utah School of Medicine, combining research, training, and excellent care to provide the best health care for children.

The rankings methodology considers clinical outcomes, such as mortality and infection rates, efficiency and coordination of care delivery, and compliance with best practices. This year’s rankings will be published in the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals 2021” guidebook and available in bookstores in late September.

Visit the U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals website for the full rankings and methodology.

To find out more information regarding Intermountain Healthcare Facilities visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Pinterest or you can read their blog.

If you or a family member is experiencing a medical emergency, please dial 9-1-1.

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