Dr. Jaime Estrada, Caren Bock, Kim Gilligan and Mariol Funk with a young patient and his teddy bear.
Children’s Hospital At Palms West Offers Exceptional Pediatric Services Close By Palms West Hospital knows that medical treatment affects children differently. They are not just small adults.
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amilies in the western communities can take comfort in knowing that exceptional pediatric healthcare is located right in their own backyard. The Children’s Hospital at Palms West — the only dedicated pediatric hospital in the western communities — offers a full complement of healthcare services and is a hub of specialized pediatric services for a five-county area. The Children’s Hospital at Palms West is essentially a hospital within a hospital. All hospital services offered for adults are also available for children. Palms West Hospital knows that medical treatment affects children differently than adults. Even if they suffer from the same illness or injury, children are not just small adults. Growing children have different bodies than grownups. A routine procedure for an adult may have serious implications for a developing child. Not only do children require specialized pediatric care from practiced professionals who identify a young patient’s immediate medical needs, but also recognize the long-term effects of pro-
cedures and treatments on a child. In addition, caring for a child requires that “special touch” — to be able to communicate with the child at his or her level and inform the parent or family member regarding the child’s condition. Palms West Hospital has specialized pediatric services in the emergency room, inpatient care, the intensive care unit, hematology/oncology, imaging and rehabilitation. The medical staff includes 128 pediatric specialists covering 22 sub-specialties, such as pediatric cardiology, pediatric endocrinology, pediatric neurosurgery and pediatric oncology. With this breadth and depth of specialists on staff, area families do not have to travel outside of the community for treatment. In fact, patients come from as far away as Coral Springs and Okeechobee to receive pediatric care at Palms West Hospital. Palms West Hospital’s pediatric emergency room treats nearly 19,000 children annually, which accounts for 35 to 40 percent of the total ER volume per year. When a trip to the ER is needed, hospital staff members know how important it is to make children feel comfortable and put their fears to rest. That is why they offer a dedicated pediatric emergency room, where sick and injured kids receive emergency medical wellington the magazine | july 2016
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