Cleft Lip and Palate Program at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital Earns Coveted ACPA Accreditation

The Cleft Lip and Palate Program at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children's Hospital has been granted a 5-year accreditation by the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (ACPA).

A premier scientific resource and interdisciplinary professional network for clinicians serving patients with cleft lip, cleft palate and other craniofacial differences, the ACPA sets the standards for teams providing care in the space.

“The ACPA maintains a set of six peer-reviewed standards that a program must meet to receive accreditation,” says Wellington J. Davis III, MD, team leader of LVHN’s Cleft Lip and Palate Program. “We are fully approved across all six.”

Clefts, or openings, in the lip or palate (the roof of the mouth) form before birth. The defects can interfere with a child’s or adult’s ability to eat and talk. At LVHN, board-certified plastic surgeons perform reconstructive procedures to close these openings. But proper care for the conditions doesn’t end there.

“A lot of people aren’t aware of the multidisciplinary aspect of this,” Dr. Davis says. “After the initial surgery, almost all children will need speech therapy. Then at about age 5, a child might need additional, minor surgery. Later on, many will need work on their teeth. Some will also need subsequent surgery on their nose and/or jaw. Kids must be seen regularly until they are fully grown.”

The LVHN program maintains a team of four specialists to provide the long-term, multidisciplinary care required. In addition to Dr. Davis, they include pediatric dentist Marsha Gordon, DDS, orthodontist Philip Tighe, DMD, and speech and swallow therapist Tara Huggard.

“I was recruited here to start this program, and I knew from the outset that we had what it would take to provide great care,” Dr. Davis says. “It is one of the best teams I’ve ever worked with.”

The Cleft Lip and Palate Program debuted in 2021. Since then, it has grown steadily, year after year.

“Currently, we see about 10 to 12 patients per month. As for initial surgeries, we see 15 to 20 cases per year in the OR,” Dr. Davis says.

“It’s great to offer all this right here in the Lehigh Valley,” he says. “Because we’re here, families don’t have to travel to get the care they need.”