Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Spring 2019 - 24

M e d i c a l r e c o r d f e at u r e

Reading Hospital Introduces
New Emergency Department

'Built For Kids'

ocal children may now be less
intimidated by a trip for emergency care, thanks to Reading
Hospital's new Pediatric Emergency
Department "Built for Kids." The
James Radwanski & Deborah St Clair
Radwanski PhD Pediatric Emergency
Department opened on February 7 at
Reading Hospital.
Of the thousands of patients who
visit the Reading Hospital Emergency
Department each year, nearly 30,000
of them are children. With so many
children entering its doors, the hospital recognized an opportunity to
better serve the community by expanding its pediatric emergency services
Until the new unit opened, children and adults were treated in the
same space. "We had the team to provide specialized care to our young
patients, but we wanted a dedicated space to help provide comfort in
a stressful time," said Charles Barbera, MD, Chair, Department of
Emergency Medicine.
Members of the Reading Hospital Emergency Department team,
led by Dr. Barbera, spent more than two years visiting other pediatric
emergency departments, consulting pediatric healthcare specialists,
and talking to hundreds of parents across Berks County. From this
work, a Pediatric Emergency Department was created which includes
a comfortable waiting room, apart from the general emergency department - complete with a "No Ouch" Zone and interactive screen-play
area - and colorful, spacious patient rooms to accommodate families
that are accessible to all, including children with special needs.

The hard work of the team
resulted in a new department that
relies on tested methods of care to
provide a service for which parents
in the community had expressed
a need.
"We invested a large amount
of energy and effort in developing
this specialized space for our community's littlest residents, because
their health and well-being are so
important to us," said William
M. Jennings, Reading Hospital
President & CEO.
The new pediatric emergency department features 16 spacious,
state-of-the-art patient rooms designed for pediatric patients of all
developmental stages. The department also is equipped to serve children with special needs, offering specialized programs such as music
therapy. A pediatric "triage" area is employed to maximize efficiency
and reduce waiting times.
Families can freely communicate with their children's care team,
consisting of experienced pediatric physicians, specialists, nurses, and
physician assistants. There is also a private family consultation room to
ensure confidentiality. All pediatric-specific supplies and equipment are
available within the department. The play area for children awaiting
treatment includes interactive screens, games and a virtual fish tank, as
well as free Wi-Fi access and cell phone-charging stations.

"Our new pediatric emergency department has the talent and the
setting to provide care most conducive to healing for every child regard"Our vision has been to provide outstanding care to children in an less of his or her unique medical need," said Christopher Valente, MD,
environment that reduces stress and anxiety for patients and families," Chief, Pediatric Emergency Medicine.
said Dr. Barbera. "Our pediatric emergency department offers compasA generous donation to the Reading Hospital Foundation's Pesionate, specialized pediatric care in a friendly setting."
diatric Emergency Department campaign from James and Deborah

www.berkscms.org

http://www.berkscms.org

Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Spring 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Spring 2019