How is the Pediatric Emergency Department Different?
Unsure if Your Child Needs Emergency Care? Call ASK-A-NURSE
R The facility is staffed by board-certified pediatricians experienced in pediatric emergency care and nurses who specialize in pediatrics. Every member of the staff has child development training and experience. R The entire department has been designed to deliver child-friendly care in an environment that welcomes family members with comfortable seating, entertaining murals and televisions tuned to the Cartoon Network. R All physicians and nurses are certified in both basic and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). R Staffing, policies and procedures are directed by physicians and nurses with extensive pediatric emergency medicine experience who understand the special needs of children.
The staff of registered nurses at University Hospital’s ASK-A-NURSE provide free health care information 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The nurses use computerized physicianapproved clinical guidelines to access the symptoms, determine if your child needs care and refer you to the proper level of care. To reach ASK-A-NURSE, call 706/737-8423 (SER-VICE) or 800/476-7378.
Take The Anxiety Out of Your Child’s Emergency Department Visit
Fast Facts About the Children’s Emergency Department
“Jack” the mascot
6570.5517.1 • 242325.967
R University’s Pediatric Emergency Department serves pediatric patients from infants to 18 years of age who are not married or pregnant. R The facility is open from 10 a.m-2 a.m. every day. R Registration is quick and easy and may be done at the entry desk or at bedside. R Patients are treated as they arrive in order based on acuity, or the seriousness of their illness or injury. R The average turnaround time is less than an hour, except for patients who require IVs or lengthy treatments. Overall turnaround time averages 90 minutes. R The facility treats approximately 17,000 children every year.
1350 Walton Way Augusta, GA 30901-2629
www.universityhealth.org
Take The Anxiety Out of Your Child’s Emergency Department Visit A visit to the emergency department can be a traumatic event for a child. The sights, sounds and activities are often disturbing to young minds.
A Skilled and Experienced Staff
Avoid Long Waits
Children are not just small adults. They are developing beings with unique needs. So their physical, emotional and psychological needs are best met by health care professionals specifically trained to care for children.
Since the pediatric Emergency Department only cares for children 18 and younger, it serves fewer patients than the main Emergency Department. Therefore, the arrival to discharge time is generally less than an hour, except for patients who require IVs or lengthy treatments.
The Pediatric Emergency Department is staffed by board-certified pediatricians experienced in pediatric emergency medicine. To appear less intimidating to young patients, the physicians do not wear lab coats. These physicians are supported by nurses who specialize in pediatric care.
But University’s Pediatric Emergency Department offers an alternative. This quiet, child-friendly enclave adjacent to the main Emergency Department was designed specifically with children in mind. Its kid-friendly décor softens the clinical setting and immediately puts children at ease. Hand-painted murals representing the four seasons cover the walls of the eight treatment rooms. Each of the rooms is equipped with televisions and telephones, seating for family members and closets for personal belongings. The comfortable waiting room resembles a tree house made of planks that frame “windows” overlooking garden views. A painted mascot, Jack the Terrier, romps through the facility, leaving a trail of paw prints.
And, if other specialists are needed, they’re only a phone call away. That’s because the more than 500 physicians who practice at University support the Pe d i a t r i c Emergency Department. When it’s time to leave, the physician who treats your child will make sure you receive clear and concise instructions regarding any mediations or follow-up care and fax your child’s treatment records to his or her pediatrician.
Depend on University’s Pediatric Emergency Department When your child needs emergency care, why not rely on an easily-accessible facility developed just for children? That way, you can rest assured that your child will receive excellent clinical care in a comfortable, child-friendly environment. To access this facility, park in the lot in front of the Emergency Department entrance and enter through the main doors. The Pediatric Emergency Department is located directly behind the main Emergency Department.