Featured patient impact story: Caring for Children with Complex Medical Needs
Maria came to Cherry Health when her daughter Suryani was 5. Maria felt that as Suryani was growing, something wasn’t right. Maria and Suryani were immediately connected to pediatrician Dr. Susan O’Rourke, who identified delays is Suryani’s speech and mobility, along with other challenges affecting her ability to function in school.
Suryani is one of many complex care pediatric patients at Cherry Health who benefit from a coordinated, team-based approach. Each child’s care team helps manage chronic conditions, functional limitations, and extensive healthcare needs through a unified plan involving multiple specialists and services—improving outcomes and reducing hospitalizations.
For Suryani, Dr. O’Rourke serves as her primary care home, collaborating with community partners to ensure her needs are met.
Maria loves Cherry Health not only for the care her daughter receives, but also for the organization’s commitment to every patient. She shared, “Cherry Health has been a good service for us. Dr. Susan is a very good doctor, but it’s even more about the culture. They always provide someone to translate, which makes us feel comfortable. I’m so thankful—she answers my questions, listens to my concerns, and always has a plan and resources to offer.”
Dr. Jenny Bush, Cherry Health’s Chief Medical Officer, explains, “Many of our complex care pediatric patients live in poverty and wouldn’t be able to access the specialized providers they need without Cherry Health. Serving as their primary care home is essential to successful care management.” As Maria and Suryani have experienced, Cherry Health works tirelessly to ease the burden for families so children with complex care needs can simply be kids.