News
California Pacific Medical Center Opens Pediatric Emergency Department
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., November 6, 2008 - California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) has opened the first emergency department in San Francisco designed specifically to treat and meet the needs of children ages birth to 18 years old and their families.
“In the past, children facing medical emergencies went to any of the city’s emergency departments,” says Julie Clayton, R.N., Vice President of Women and Children’s Services at CPMC, and chief administrative officer of the medical center’s California Campus. “While they would receive good care, we knew we could do a better job of meeting all their needs, both physical and emotional, if California Pacific Medical Center offered an emergency department designed specifically for children.”
At most emergency departments the equipment is designed for adults so staff have to make adjustments when working with children. At the new Pediatric Emergency Department, located at the California Campus (3700 California Street), all of the equipment is designed with children in mind. Cribs are provided in addition to beds to accommodate the smallest patients, resuscitation equipment is color‐coded by a child’s weight, and blood pressure cuffs, catheters and other equipment is scaled down for children. Even the wheelchairs are a better fit.
Every child who shows up in the Pediatric Emergency Department will see physicians trained in both pediatrics and emergency care. Should the child need additional care they can be seen by a whole team of pediatric sub‐specialists – pediatricians who have expertise in a wide range of areas from gastroenterology and cardiology to endocrinology and intensive are.
“Any parent who has had to take their child to the emergency room knows what a frightening experience it can be, both for them and their children,” says Martin Brotman, M.D., President and CEO of California Pacific Medical Center. “We think children deserve something better than a “one size fits all” approach to emergency care, that’s why we created this Pediatric Emergency Department. It is an extension of our comprehensive Women & Children’s Center.”
The emergency department has child‐friendly private rooms equipped with the most advanced child‐sized medical equipment. The rooms also have TVs and DVD players, as well as age‐appropriate toys, puzzles and activities to help take children’s minds off where they are.
Because medical emergencies can be difficult for everyone concerned, California Pacific Medical Center has Child Life staff in the Pediatric Emergency Department seven days a week. These “kid helpers” have special training in child development and hospitalization and are able to prepare children for medical procedures such as blood draws, explaining what a child will experience, and helping to take some of the fear out of the situation. No other hospital in the Bay Area offers this service in the emergency department.
“We think you deserve the best quality care, regardless of your age or size,” says Clayton. “Our new Pediatric Emergency Department now means children in San Francisco will get the best possible care, in a setting that is much more appropriate for them, and their families.”
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About California Pacific Medical Center
At San Francisco’s California Pacific Medical Center, we believe in the power of medicine. We research the most up‐to‐date treatments, hire the most qualified individuals, and practice the most modern, innovative medicine available. We deliver the highest quality expert care, with kindness and compassion, in acute, post‐acute and outpatient services, as well as preventive and complementary medicine. But we also believe that medicine alone is only part of the solution. That’s why we look intently at each individual case and treat the whole person, not just the illness. It’s why we go beyond medical care and provide our patients with things like disease counseling, family support and wellness treatments. As one of California’s largest private, community‐based, not‐for‐profit, teaching medical centers, and a Sutter Health affiliate, we are able to reach deep into our community to provide education, screening and financial support in some of the city’s most underserved neighborhoods. Because medicine can transform a body. But going beyond medicine can transform a life. www.cpmc.org
About Sutter Health
Serving patients and their families in more than 100 Northern California cities and towns, Sutter Health doctors, hospitals and other health care service providers join resources and share expertise to advance health care quality and access. The Sutter Medical Network includes many of California’s top-performing, highest quality physician organizations as measured annually by the Integrated Healthcare Organization. Sutter-affiliated hospitals are regional leaders in cardiac care, women’s and children’s services, cancer care, orthopedics and advanced patient safety technology. For more information about the not-for-profit Sutter Health family, please visit www.sutterhealth.org.
California Pacific Medical Center Contact
Kevin McCormack
(415) 600‐7484 direct
(415) 232‐6463 pager
McCormKD@sutterhealth.org
Sutter Health Contact
Brian Hudson
(916) 286-6798 direct
(916) 286-6695 media line
cthudsb@sutterhealth.org