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Kansas City, MO – Children's Mercy Hospital has a new partner - the Mexican Ministry of Health.
The head of Children's Mercy Hospital and the Secretary of Health from Mexico recently signed a letter of intent to develop a joint referral system for patients, cross-train health workers, and engage in medical research.
Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos says the collaboration will improve overall understandings of pediatric health.
"Always medicine is very dynamic," Cordova said. "The knowledge changes every day and it's very important to have the chance to share the new knowledge that you have with doctors from other parts of the world - especially if we're neighbors, especially if we're so near."
Children's Mercy Hospital CEO Randall O'Donnell says the hospital already has sister-relationships with places in Panama and China, but that this partnership is the first of its kind with another country's government.
O'Donnell says the first research and education programs with Mexico will start sometime next year.
When Secretary Cordova was in town last week, he also signed a letter of intent to collaborate with KU Medical Center.
Funding for health care coverage on KCUR has been provided by the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City.
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