Dedicated to helping children become healthy adults, Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital celebrates its own 18th Birthday

Community’s beloved children’s hospital ‘enters adulthood,’ caring for more than 250 patients daily and becoming a national destination for care

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 17, 2025 – In December 2025, Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital is celebrating its 18th birthday — a milestone that honors nearly two decades of compassionate care, groundbreaking innovation and unwavering commitment to children and families across the Carolinas and beyond.

When Levine Children’s Hospital opened its doors in December 2007, it stood as a promise of hope and healing for children. This promise, fueled by the generosity of Sandra and Leon Levine and a community united by purpose, has grown into one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals — recognized every year since inception as a “Best Children’s Hospital” by U.S. News & World Report.

“I remember the excitement of the day we opened Levine Children’s Hospital and the simple promise we made: to be there for children in our community when they needed us most,” said Callie Dobbins, senior vice president of Atrium Health Levine Children’s. “Eighteen years later, that promise has grown beyond what we imagined — shaped by everything we’ve learned and the progress we’ve made. What started as a local commitment has grown into something much larger: serving children in Charlotte, across the nation and even around the world.”

Today, Levine Children’s Hospital offers expert care in more than 30 pediatric specialties, including the region’s only Level 1 pediatric trauma center, and continues to set the standard for excellence in children’s health.

With a vision to consistently expand and improve care available to patients, Levine Children’s Hospital has been recognized for outstanding clinical care and achieving many remarkable milestones, including:

• performing nearly 300 pediatric transplants, including more than 150 hearts and 200 kidneys, as the region’s only pediatric transplant center;
• becoming a destination for advanced pediatric heart care, including the nation’s No. 8 Cardiology & Heart Surgery program according to U.S. News & World Report;
• serving as the state’s largest provider of pediatric critical care with 44 specialized beds, reinforcing its commitment to delivering world-class, lifesaving care for children across the region;
• pioneering innovation as leaders of the nation’s first pediatric Hospital at Home program;
• advancing pediatric research and dedicating ourselves to finding cures as the headquarters of the ARISE Cancer Consortium™;
• expanding surgical excellence, welcoming Pediatric Surgical Associates — a trusted group in the Charlotte region for over 40 years;
• offering robust support programs that provide psychosocial and emotional care, including child life specialists and art and music therapy;
• caring for more pediatric rehabilitation patients than any center in the region, and achieving some of the nation’s top outcomes for helping children recover and return home;
• developing an entire network of care with over 200 primary care pediatricians across North Carolina and South Carolina and Georgia who have a direct line to Levine Children’s Hospital should a child need specialized level of care.

“As we look ahead to the next 18 years and beyond, we’re committed to continuously building positive outcomes for children by investing in advanced programs, growing access to specialized care and leading research that shapes the future of pediatric medicine,” said Meghan Clithero, vice president of Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital. “We also want to ensure that families have the support that they need as they transition into adulthood, which is why we feel privileged to be a part of the Atrium Health network where they will have continued, high-quality care from compassionate partners like Levine Cancer Institute and Sanger Heart & Vascular.”

That personalized approach comes to life through a dedicated team of caregivers — including experienced pediatricians, nationally recognized pediatric specialists, specially trained nurses and child life experts — who create care plans that go beyond medicine. At Levine Children’s, holistic care means supporting the whole child and family with thoughtful touches like comforting stuffed animals, cozy blankets, festive holiday celebrations featuring Santa Claus and magical visits from the tooth fairy and superheroes.

As a highly sought-after center for care that specialists from all over the region, nation and even the world refer patients to, Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital is proud to be a world-class destination for all children’s health care needs — a privilege we look forward to expanding upon for years to come.

About Atrium Health

Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Atrium Health is part of Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States. A recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine is the health system’s academic core. Atrium Health is renowned for its top-ranked pediatric, cancer and heart care, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Atrium Health is also a leading-edge innovator in virtual care and mobile medicine, providing care close to home and in the home. It is ranked nationally among U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals in nine pediatric specialties and for rehabilitation. With a commitment to redefine care for every community it serves, Atrium Health provides nearly $3 billion in free and uncompensated care and other community benefits.

About Advocate Health

Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Advocate Health is nationally recognized for its expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs more than 160,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to redefining care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.