Renowned, multidisciplinary cleft and craniofacial care

About 200 children are born each year in Arizona with a cleft lip or palate, craniosynostosis (a skull that can’t expand to accommodate the growing brain) or craniofacial microsomia (one part of the face is smaller than normal).

Children and adults whose condition is untreated or poorly treated face a challenging future: multiple surgeries, multiple specialist visits, and difficulty being accepted in a social-media-driven world that places a premium on appearance. Few medical offices are equipped to help with all the issues these families face. The combination of physical disfigurement and psychological challenges, particularly with children, make this a challenging malady. See what we achieved in the last fiscal year by downloading the Stewardship Report below.

A team approach

The Barrow Cleft and Craniofacial Center was founded in 1986 based on the principal of the interdisciplinary team approach. Health professionals in more than 15 specialties, including neurosurgery, plastic surgery, orthodontics, speech pathology and psychology, coordinate with each other in providing comprehensive care by creating an interdisciplinary care plan.

The team doesn’t think only of the patient. It is just as vital that the family be taken care of. In addition to addressing the patient’s physical difference, the Barrow center emphasizes the psychological health of the entire family and the social integration of the family.

The center is the first in Arizona to be approved by The American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association as both a Cleft Team and a Craniofacial Team. It has maintained its dual approval since the beginning of the approval process, a record the providers are very proud of. As a dedicated team, the staff is committed to serving patients from across the Southwest.

“This is their craniofacial home. People can come to a safe place, where they know they’ll be accepted and loved unconditionally,” says Dr. Stephen Beals. “They know we’ll manage not only their medical care, but also their ‘heart care’ – the emotional support parents and children need to get through the process.”