In the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings of American hospitals, 90 hospitals received national recognition in at least one pediatric specialty, out of ten such specialties studied in the survey.  No pediatric hospitals in the Great Plains region ranked among the top 10 children's hospitals in the nation, but nine pediatric hospitals in the region did receive top 50 national recognition in at least one of the ten pediatric specialties examined.  Moreover, among the best pediatric hospitals in the Great Plains region, four children's hospitals earned top 50 national ratings in at least five pediatric specialties. For earning national recognition in at least five pediatric specialty areas, here's a summary look at the four hospitals that stand out among the best pediatric hospitals in the Great Plains region:

Best Pediatric Hospitals in the Great Plains Region

Children's Mercy Kansas City
Location: Kansas City, MO
Nationally Ranked Pediatric Specialties: 10 of 10 
Pediatric Specialties Ranked in Top 50 Nationally:
#34 Cancer
#19 Cardiology & Heart Surgery
#22 Diabetes & Endocrinology
#28 Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#4   Nephrology
#14 Neonatology
#18 Neurology & Neurosurgery
#30 Orthopedics
#24 Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
#17 Urology

See ranking details

Mayo Clinic Children's Center
Location: Rochester, MN
Nationally Ranked Pediatric Specialties: 10 of 10

Pediatric Specialties Ranked in Top 50 Nationally:
#37 Cancer
#40 Cardiology & Heart Surgery
#42 Diabetes & Endocrinology
#48 Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#50 Nephrology
#33 Neonatology
#32 Neurology & Neurosurgery

#16 Orthopedics
#45 Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
#14 Urology

See ranking details

St. Louis Children's Hospital
Location: St. Louis
Nationally Ranked Pediatric Specialties: 10 of 10 

Pediatric Specialties Ranked in Top 50 Nationally:
#32 Cancer
#24 Cardiology & Heart Surgery
#20 Diabetes & Endocrinology
#15 Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
#25 Nephrology
#8   Neonatology
#5   Neurology & Neurosurgery
#10 Orthopedics
#14 Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
#18 Urology

See ranking details

University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital
Location: Iowa City
Nationally Ranked Pediatric Specialties: 7 of 10 

Pediatric Specialties Ranked in Top 50 Nationally:

#38 Cancer

#23 Diabetes & Endocrinology
#27 Nephrology
#26 Neonatology
#38 Neurology & Neurosurgery
#36 Orthopedics

#50 Pulmonology & Lung Surgery

See ranking details

To find other children's hospitals in the Great Plains region and elsewhere, check out our U.S. Children's Hospitals resource page.

Heart disease accounted for 696,962 deaths in the United States in 2020, an increase of about 5.8% from a year earlier.  In 2020, in the six-state New England region there were 28,580 deaths attributed to heart disease.  With 192.5 deaths per 100,000 population, New England had a regional heart disease death rate that was 9% lower than the national average in 2020.  An examination of state-level data from the National Center for Health Statistics, a unit of the CDC, provides the following details about heart disease death rates in New England:

Heart Disease Death Rates in New England

State	Deaths	Population	Death Rate*
Connecticut	7,110	3,557,006	199.9
Maine	3,035	1,350,141	224.8
Massachusetts	11,781	6,893,574	170.9
New Hampshire	2,814	1,366,275	206.0
Rhode Island	2,319	1,057,125	219.4
Vermont	1,521	623,347	244.0
Region	28,580	14,847,468	192.5
U.S.	696,962	329,484,123	211.5

(*) number of heart disease deaths per 100,000 population

Report Period: 2020

Source: CDC Wonder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2020 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2021. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2020, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed on July 2, 2022