Pediatric Emergency Services Available at Chester County Hospital 24/7

When your child’s doctor is “out,” specialized pediatric care is “in” at Chester County Hospital.

No night is longer for a parent than one spent with a sick child, and nothing derails a well-planned Saturday afternoon faster than a child’s unexpected illness. As any parent knows, typical childhood ailments often happen at night or on weekends when your pediatrician or family doctor’s office is closed. What are your options when your child has an illness that can’t wait for your pediatrician’s normal business hours? If you live in Chester County, you bring your child straight to Chester County Hospital’s emergency room where board-certified pediatricians from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) are waiting to give your child the specialized care you are looking for when your doctor is not available.

“Parents often have a natural sense about when their child needs medical care. Certain symptoms create urgency. Parents can bring their children in to see the pediatricians here in our emergency room for illnesses that they feel need immediate attention, when their pediatrician does not have open office hours,” explains Betty Brennan, EdD, MSN, RN, CEN, Director of Emergency Services. “We provide the same care available at your doctor’s office, along with immediate access to an even higher level of care, if needed. We make sure children are well cared for and comfortable, parents are informed, and families are in and out as quickly as possible.”

Hospital-based CHOP pediatricians have always been a collaborative part of Chester County Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) team. Previously, they were on call from the hospital’s Pediatric Unit for consultations and to help manage the care of younger patients. Today, they are now on site in the ED itself during the peak hours when urgent care is most needed by children under age 6. Starting this past January, the CHOP pediatricians are based in the ED on weekdays from 7 pm to 11 pm and on weekends from 3 pm to 11 pm. Beyond these ED-specific hours, they continue to be available from the Pediatric Unit around the clock.

According to Karen Pinsky, MD, Medical Director of CHOP Care Network/Newborn and Pediatric Care at Chester County Hospital, the hospital made a conscious decision to optimize the care it provides in its Emergency Department for families when their pediatricians are not available. “We looked at patient volumes in the Emergency Department to identify the children by age and by diagnosis that would be best served by an enhanced pediatric process in the ED and how we could make things easier for those families,” says Dr. Pinsky. “It made sense to have pediatricians right there in the emergency room to treat young children with the kinds of illnesses that require medical attention.”

Because the CHOP pediatricians are hospital-based physicians and also work in the hospital’s Pediatrics Unit, they are able to provide a continuity of care for children who may need to be admitted for observation or treatment. They also communicate with each child’s own primary care physician, providing information about the patient’s condition as well as any tests or procedures that may have been performed. In addition, the pediatricians maintain an open dialogue with parents, keeping them informed, providing time for questions, and making sure any fears or concerns are addressed.

For more information visit chestercountyhospital.org

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