Children in Connecticut in need of a heart transplant will no longer have to travel outside the state for that procedure.

Yale New Haven Children's Hospital announced Tuesday that it has become the first facility in Connecticut and Rhode Island now certified to perform comprehensive pediatric heart care.

Doctors at the New Haven facility say seven to 10 kids in the state are sent away each year for their surgery, as well as all the appointments and assessments before and after the procedure.

“The number of heart transplants that are needed is not a huge number, but for those families, it has tremendous impact,” says Dr. Jeremy Asnes. “The ability to provide that care in the family's backyard, be able to keep them close to their support system, is a huge benefit for the state.”

Doctors at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital say they are not sure when they will perform their first pediatric heart transplant.