A sprained ankle on the soccer field. A broken arm on the playground. A burned hand at the kitchen stove. An asthma attack in the middle of the night.
If your child suffers any serious, unexpected injury or illness, he or she might end up in the Emergency Department at Greenwich Hospital – which is now even better prepared to ease children’s pain.
That’s because Greenwich Hospital has teamed up with pediatric emergency medicine physicians at the renowned Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital (YNHCH) to provide the most advanced pediatric emergency services in the area.
Nearly 25% of the roughly 40,000 patients treated in the department each year are children and adolescents under the age of 18.
While Greenwich Hospital’s existing, full-time staff of board-certified emergency medicine physicians continues to see all patients in the Emergency Department, the specialists from Yale are working to cover 4 pm – 8 am. “Those are the hours when most local pediatrician’s offices are closed, and when parents are often home from work and can bring their children here,” said Christopher Davison, MD, medical director of Greenwich Hospital’s Emergency Department.
Another advantage, said Dr. Davison, is the increased in-house nighttime coverage by the Yale specialists for young patients who have already been admitted to Greenwich Hospital’s dedicated pediatric unit. “That’s a huge boost to our community pediatricians, knowing their patients are cared for 24/7, he said. “It also gives families confidence that there’s a pediatric provider here.”
This expansion of pediatric services dovetails with the recent multimillion-dollar improvements and renovations throughout the Emergency Department. A separate pediatric waiting room – featuring a virtual fish tank and other kid-friendly decor, child-size furniture and age-appropriate books, TV programming and interactive media – helps make a child’s visit less stressful. Three new rooms are exclusively designed for treating Greenwich Hospital’s young patients. “Now the majority of kids can get right in and out, avoiding the general Emergency Department,” Dr. Davison said.
Collaborating with Dr. Davison on the development of this innovative program is Karen Santucci, MD, section chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. YNHCH is nationally ranked in eight specialties by U.S. News & World Report, the highest in Connecticut and among the highest ranked in the nation. “Parents have peace of mind with the added level of support and expertise that our pediatric emergency medicine physicians bring to Greenwich Hospital,” she said.
Pediatric emergency physicians have experience in diagnosing and treating infants, children, teens and young adults. Major emergencies include fractures, head injuries, burns and conditions resulting from motor vehicle crashes, falls or other incidents. They also provide care for acute medical problems, such as high or persistent fever, serious infections, difficulty breathing, severe pain, dehydration, seizures and allergic reactions, as well as poisonings and overdoses. These physicians know how to establish an instant rapport with kids, providing assurance they’re in a safe, friendly place where the doctors understand what they’re going through.
Further enhancing Greenwich Hospital’s emergency services, patients have access to YNHCH’s Pediatric Specialty Center, conveniently located on Greenwich Hospital’s second floor. YNHCH’s pediatric specialists see patients at the Center, providing access to nationally ranked pediatric specialties, including orthopedics, endocrinology, urology, cardiology, pulmonology, oncology, surgery and mental health.
The collegial sharing of knowledge, expertise and experience among these two medical institutions is an added benefit of being part of Yale New Haven Health. In this instance, the pediatric specialists at either hospital can log onto Epic, the jointly used electronic medical records system, to quickly obtain the complete history on a specific patient and make instant updates regarding treatments, medications and other critical data.
The expansion of pediatric emergency services at Greenwich Hospital is already seen as a benefit to the community. “The feedback we’ve received from patients and their families has been fantastic,” Dr. Davison said. “It’s been a positive experience for everyone involved.”
