WATCH: LI Hospital Performs 1st Pediatric Heart Transplant

MANHASSET, NY — Cohen Children's Medical Center has performed its first pediatric heart transplant. The patient, a male teenager, is still recovering at the hospital located on the Nassau/Queens border.

Dr. Jake Kleinmahon is the medical director of the Northwell Health's new heart transplant program.

"This is huge," he told Patch. "It's not only for Cohen Children and Northwell, but really for the communities that we serve on Long Island and Queens."

Kleinmahon came to Northwell/Cohen Children's 18 months ago after the regulatory approval for a pediatric heart program had already started. But the progress continued until the state granted certification.

"The thing about transplants, it really affects every part of a hospital and a hospital system," Kleinmahon said. "It requires everybody to be on the top of their game."

While this was Cohen's first heart transplant, that was not the case for the assembled team.

"We've all been at other successful transplant programs before," he said. "So there's a lot of experience here that we've gathered from around the country."

The four-hour surgery took place on March 28, "but there's a lot of preparation and coordination that has to be done."

As Cohen Children's begins its journey with heart transplants, Dr. Kleinmahon praises his colleagues.

"It's really a testament to the people in place that I work with to be able to start a heart transplant program," he said. "Not many places can say they've done that recently."

Watch the full "Patch Weekly Spotlight" interview with Dr. Kleinmahon below.