Kids get specialized care at St. Luke’s Hospital
September 22, 2009
According to a recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, only six percent of U.S. hospital emergency departments are fully equipped to properly care for children. High rates of H1N1 flu are expected this winter and the ratio of kids infected with H1N1 is higher than other age groups.
“St. Luke’s Hospital is adequately prepared to treat pediatric patients,” said Sandi McIntosh, St. Luke’s Emergency Services director. “The hospital has specialized equipment designed specifically for children and our medical staff is trained to handle pediatric patients.”
Both St. Luke’s Emergency Department (ED) and Pediatric Unit have Broselow Pediatric Emergency Carts, which contain various sizes of equipment based on the child’s weight. Pediatrics is also available to assist the ED as requested for emergencies.
St. Luke’s Pediatric Inpatient Unit is located on the second floor of the Helen G. Nassif Center for Women’s and Children’s Health. St. Luke's state-of-the-art Pediatric Hospitalist program is lead by James Matsuda, MD, a PhD. St. Luke’s pediatric hospitalists are solely dedicated to caring for children in the hospital, 24/7.
St. Luke’s pediatric hospitalists have expertise in pediatric critical care, which allows the hospital to keep patients and families in Cedar Rapids that otherwise would need to be transferred to another hospital.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 46 children under age 18 have died from H1N1.
