Shriners Children's Expands Access to Care Through Partnership With the Panama Clinic
Dr. Leslie "Doc" Stewart of Shriners Children's signs an agreement to partner with The Panama Clinic alongside a clinic team member.
For more than 70 years, Shriners Children's has cared for children and families in Panama. Over that time, more than 10,000 pediatric patients from Panama have received specialized care through our healthcare system. Now, a new partnership with The Panama Clinic will help bring that care closer to home.
On August 12, Shriners Children's signed an agreement with The Panama Clinic to establish an international outreach clinic that will operate in Panama four times each year. The clinic, which will provide specialized orthopedic and burn reconstructive care, follows the successful model established through our international outreach clinic in Cyprus.
"This partnership reflects the future of pediatric healthcare: strong local partnerships, shared expertise and a commitment to meeting families where they are,” said Leslie D. Stewart, chairman of the Board of Trustees for Shriners Children’s. “The Panama Clinic has been a trusted collaborator in supporting children and families throughout their healthcare journey, making it an ideal clinical partner in our shared effort to bring specialized care closer to home."
The partnership with The Panama Clinic represents a significant milestone in expanding access to specialized care while strengthening continuity of care for children and families throughout the region. Panama is the second-largest country of origin for patients traveling to Shriners Children's hospitals in the United States for treatment.
A team member explains a bedside whiteboard in The Panama Clinic.
The new clinic builds on an established relationship with Panama's leading pediatric orthopedic practice. That collaboration has helped facilitate telehealth consultations before families travel for treatment and after they return home, helping ensure continuity of care and the best possible outcomes for patients.
Our outreach efforts in Panama have grown steadily in recent years. So far in 2026, we have treated approximately 115 patients from Panama in the United States. During 2023 and 2024, Shriners Children's conducted orthotics and prosthetics outreach activities that screened 99 patients and provided braces to 86 children. Our burn reconstructive team also evaluates approximately 70 patients in Panama annually.
The impact of the outreach clinic extends beyond Panama. Shriners Children's also cares for children from neighboring countries, including Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. In 2024, we treated 154 orthopedic and burn reconstructive patients from those countries, with estimated operating expenses exceeding $9.7 million.
The agreement was formalized during a signing ceremony attended by leaders from Shriners Children's, The Panama Clinic and Abou Saad Shriners.
“I want to extend a special thank-you to members of Abou Saad Shriners,” Dr. Stewart said. “They played an instrumental role in helping bring the partnership to fruition through years of leadership, commitment and dedication to expanding access to care for children throughout the region.”
As Shriners Children's begins this new chapter with The Panama Clinic, the partnership reflects a shared commitment to bringing specialized pediatric care closer to home while helping more children reach their full potential.
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