Children’s Hospital At Palms West Provides A Warm And Caring Environment For Pediatric Patients Story by Lauren Miró Photos by Abner Pedraza
Having a sick child is a trying time for any family, and at Palms West Hospital, the staff makes sure children come first. With a team of experts in pediatric medicine, the hospital provides not only critical and long-term care, but also a warm and comforting environment for children and their families. “Any time your child is sick or ill, it’s certainly a scary situation for parents,” Palms West Hospital CEO Eric Goldman said. “It’s important for parents to know that pediatric medicine differs from adult medicine. If there is something more challenging, you want to be in a place that specializes in the care of children.” Though all hospitals treat children, Palms West Hospital caters to their specialized needs for medical care, housing top pediatric specialists in an array of medical fields under one roof — the Children’s Hospital at Palms West, a sub-specialty hospital focusing solely on pediatric medicine. “While all hospitals will take care of children in their emergency rooms, most do not have the pediatric sub-specialty coverage you find at Palms West,” Goldman said. With 48 pediatric beds after its expansion, Palms West Hospital continues to grow. “With the expansion and new fourthfloor addition, we were able to expand the number of beds we have for our children,” Goldman said. “By converting some of the existing adult beds, we were able to add 16 more pediatric beds and a few pediatric intensive care beds.” 24
July 2013 |wellington the magazine|
The focus on pediatric care began 17 years ago, spearheaded by Dr. Alberto Marante, a pediatric intensivist. “He helped grow the program from day one,” Goldman said. Marante began working at the hospital in 1996 and helped to expand the pediatric services offered. “Palms West Hospital has a service-oriented philosophy that puts the needs of children and their families first,” Marante said. Dr. Melissa Singer is the pediatric hematologist oncologist and opened her practice at Palms West Hospital seven years ago. “I’ve always been impressed with the friendly and supportive atmosphere of the administration, physicians, nurses and support staff,” she said. “It’s a warm and welcoming environment, which is quite unique. Our goal is to give top-ofthe-line care to our pediatric patients with their best interests at heart.” Having a professional staff of experts in pediatrics means that families don’t have to travel to see different specialists, Marante said. “This is, in fact, what makes a children’s hospital,” he said. “It’s not so much
‘Palms West Hospital has a service-oriented philosophy that puts the needs of children and their families first.’ Dr. Alberto Marante a building, but the ability to offer a variety of integrative services that are not easily available without having to travel long distances.” Goldman agreed, noting that patients come from as far south as Coral Springs, north from Okeechobee and east and west from both coastlines. “We’re a pediatric referral center,” he said. “One of our core beliefs is that patients shouldn’t have to travel and transfer to receive care. They should be able to get outstanding pediatric care in their back yard.” Singer noted that at Palms West Hospital, patients have a team of pediatric experts working together to treat children. “We work as a team,” she said. “We’re there to help each other