Lehigh Valley Health Network to Establish First Pediatric Emergency Department in the Region
Lehigh Valley, Pa. (Feb. 22, 2010) - Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) is announcing plans to establish the first pediatric emergency department (ED) in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding area. The facility will be constructed in existing space adjacent to the current emergency department at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Salisbury Township. The project is tentatively scheduled for completion in the spring of 2011.
Richard MacKenzie, M.D., LVHN's chair of emergency medicine says the existing emergency department at LVH-Cedar Crest cares for 13,000 children a year. He stresses that the creation of an emergency department just for children is important to the community because pediatricians and parents alike desire highly specialized care in a dedicated pediatric emergency department.
The planned pediatric ED would include 11 beds covered by specially trained staff to care for children, including dedicated pediatric emergency medicine physicians, pediatric emergency nurses and a child life specialist to assist children and their families with the psychological and social issues of an emergency room visit.
Dr. MacKenzie says there also will be a separate waiting area for children and their families. "A child-friendly atmosphere is critical," he says. "It is often very difficult for children, particularly young children, to be in an environment where adults are suffering from illness or injury."
Dr. MacKenzie says a child-friendly atmosphere can help make the pediatric emergency department as painless as possible. According to Dr. MacKenzie, research shows severe pain and worry can stick with children for a long time and even permanently. He says the goal will be to manage a child's pain through staff education, consistent assessment criteria, implementation of protocols and technological advances.
Dr. MacKenzie says the creation of a pediatric emergency department at other hospitals around the country also has shown that a separate pediatric emergency department can further reduce wait times for both child and adult emergencies. The space we free-up in the existing emergency department by creating a dedicated pediatric emergency department will allow us to care for more adult patients.
John Van Brakle, M.D., LVHN's chair of pediatrics says an emergency department dedicated to serving the needs of children is the next logical step for the community. We currently offer our young patients and their families access to a wide range of specialty care services, including a specialty care center, pediatric intensive care unit-the only one in the region, neonatal intensive care unit and the most experienced trauma center in the region treating adults and children. A pediatric emergency department would take the care of children, especially those with special health care needs, to the next level.
LVHN is an associate member of the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI), the only health network in the Lehigh Valley region to attain that designation. "Providing the highest quality emergency care services for children requires an infrastructure designed to coordinate, support and constantly improve care for pediatric patients, said Sue Dull, director, child health and financing at NACHRI. The specialized knowledge and experience of staff, family-centered approach, unique medical equipment, and comforting and reassuring environments found in pediatric emergency departments are indispensable to all children needing emergency care."
LVHN is staffed by more than 60 local pediatric specialists in 26 care areas including pediatric oncology, pediatric hematology, pediatric surgery, pediatric anesthesiology and pediatric radiology. A pediatric intensivist/hospitalist is in-house 24/7 to cover the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), inpatient pediatrics and consults throughout the hospital. In addition, a neonatologist and neonatal nurse practitioner are in-house 24/7 to cover the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
In addition to a pediatric specialty center, outpatient/ambulatory services consist of a ten-bed pediatric ambulatory surgery unit (PASU), outpatient pediatrics (hospital-based primary care pediatric clinic), and a network of community pediatricians and family practice physicians. Inpatient pediatric specialists include pediatric respiratory therapists, pediatric focused pharmacists, pediatric occupational, physical and speech therapists, and pediatric nutritionists.
