Ocala - AdventHealth Ocala is the only hospital in Marion County providing specialized pediatric cardiology services, helping families receive exceptional heart care close to home. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 40,000 infants in the United States are born with a congenital heart defect each year.

Pediatric cardiologist Dr. Ashish Patel and his team at Children's Specialty Clinic at AdventHealth Ocala are equipped with the most advanced care to help get even the tiniest hearts back on track. The team specializes in general pediatric cardiology and fetal cardiology, putting the smallest patients and their families at the heart of their care. Dr. Patel most recently provided EKG, ECG and stress tests as needed for Marion County high school students who received free sports physicals at AdventHealth Wellness Center Ocala.

“We are excited to expand our expert cardiology care to our pediatric community,” said Dr. Michael Torres, Chief Medical Officer at AdventHealth Ocala. “Our community is continuously growing and so is our care to meet the needs of even our smallest patients. We look forward to being the first and only choice for expert heart care for families in our community.”

Children’s Specialty Clinic at AdventHealth Ocala extends the connected AdventHealth network of care to provide continuity of pediatric care that doesn’t require families to transfer to other health care systems. AdventHealth Ocala the only hospital providing birthing services, level-2 NICU care, a dedicated children’s emergency department, and a pediatric inpatient unit for families in the area.