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Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center Inpatient Pediatric Services

 Pediatric Unit

Since 1959, when Good Samaritan opened its doors, there has been a focus on providing care to meet the unique needs of the pediatric patient. As the hospital expanded, so did the unit and its services. Medical breakthroughs, advanced technologies and a dedicated subspecialty support staff have all added to the level of care available for infants, toddlers as well as adolescents. During the 1990s, great strides were taken to create a unique, comprehensive continuum of care for pediatric services. The Pediatric Unit served as the cornerstone for this transformation, which expanded to include a Pediatric Intensive Unit, the Center for Pediatric Specialty care and the only Pediatric Emergency Department on the south shore of Suffolk County.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Good Sam is here for you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, right in your neighborhood. Its state-of-the-art Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is the only dedicated PICU on Suffolk’s south shore. The PICU is supervised by full-time, board certified pediatric Intensivists.

The Unit is staffed by experts in a variety of pediatric sub specialties such as pediatric cardiology, pulmonology, neurology, infectious disease, and endocrinology.

The Unit was designed under the guidance of a pediatric intensivist, who helped choose some of the finest cardiac and respiratory monitoring systems, as well as ensuring the rooms are non-threatening and child friendly.

The patient to nurse ratio is no more than 2:1, enabling nurses to respond on a minute-by-minute basis to meet the personal medical needs of each critically ill child.

The nursing and support staff are trained in pediatric critical care, offering years of experience combined with a caring attitude. The team works together to treat each child, reassuring them every step of the way. The PICU staff is always willing to communicate with children and their parents to help ease the stressful experience with compassion, caring and lots of hugs. The communication between the Pediatric staff and the primary care physician is extremely important to us and we welcome the input of the pediatrician who has cared for the family.

The pediatric critical care team is an integral member of SWATS (South West Area Trauma Services), enabling Good Samaritan to function as a trauma–receiving hospital for both adults and children.

Child Life Program

A stay in the hospital can be a frightening and stressful experience for a child and his or her family. To address the unique needs of pediatric patients and their families, a child life specialist who is trained in child development and in the specific stresses that the hospitalized child faces. The child life specialist uses art, play, and age-appropriate teaching tools to help a child understand and cope with his or her health care experience. Whenever possible, the child life specialist prepares children and families in advance for procedures by providing play, relaxation and educational experiences that decrease fear and enhance mastery and understanding.

The child life specialist is specially trained to support a child’s development, emotional, recreational and educational needs. The child life specialist uses various forms of play and other interactive activities to help children better manage their medical and hospital experience. The specialist may accompany the child to certain tests and procedures to provide positive distraction and to lend support. The child life specialist also supports the patient’s parents, siblings and relatives and helps them to join the medical team to provide the most effective care possible to their child.

Virtual Offices

Earlier this year, each pediatric room was transformed into a “virtual office.” Through the generosity of The Bob Venero Children’s Foundation, a complete set-up including a laptop, printer, Internet access, fax, scanner and phone with personal voice mail was installed for patients and their families. The children have access to programs, games, the Internet and e-mail, which their parents can also use to communicate with work or relatives. The devices provide a fun distraction for the patients and a practical application for parents who can complete tasks and correspond instantaneously. In addition, each pediatric bedside has had a flat screen TV installed for further comfort and indulgence while receiving state of the art medical care.  The project brings Good Samaritan’s Pediatric Services to an innovative level, while providing patients and their families superb resources for communication, interaction and enjoyment.

 

Next Month: The Center for Pediatric Specialty Care

 

 

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Last modified: April 28, 2005