New, Expanded Pediatric Emergency Department Now Open at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
New Brunswick, NJ – A new Pediatric Emergency Department that marries a family-friendly environment with the clinical resources of a major pediatric academic health center is now open, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony today at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
The children’s hospital’s new, $5.9 million Pediatric Emergency Department was designed with the needs of children and families in mind, with its private patient treatment areas, dedicated family waiting and play area, and whimsical décor.
Above all, the new Pediatric Emergency Department delivers state-of-the-art pediatric care, staffed by board-certified pediatric emergency doctors, pediatric nurses and ED technicians, with all the resources of a state-designated children’s hospital and Level One Trauma Center at its disposal, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Our formula for excellence combines leading edge technology, superb clinical talent and tender loving care,” said Clifton R. Lacy, MD, President and CEO of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. “This is high-powered pediatric emergency medicine, delivered in a thoroughly child-friendly and family-centered environment.”
“An adult emergency department is no place for a child. Children deserve their own emergency room, and they deserve a medical staff whose sole focus is children,” added Daniel A. Notterman, MD, Physician-in-Chief of The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “Our new pediatric emergency department ensures that every child is seen by board-certified doctors and nurses who specialize in the care of children. And for children requiring serious intervention, The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital offers the full spectrum of comprehensive pediatric specialties and subspecialties.”
Increasing to almost 8,000 square feet from 1,000, the new Pediatric Emergency Department includes 12 private patient care areas, a trauma room, a family waiting room and play area with games as well as age-appropriate television, and a nourishment station with a microwave and refrigerator stocked with juices and ice pops. Comments from patient satisfaction surveys helped to guide the design of this new area.
Families also receive the care they need without delay. As with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s adult Emergency Department, the Pediatric Emergency Department also offers the acclaimed “15/30” guarantee, in which patients are seen by a nurse within fifteen minutes of arriving at the hospital and a doctor within thirty minutes or they are not billed for the visit.
In addition, the new location is adjacent to the Pediatric Radiology Department, so X-rays, CT scans and other diagnostic tests can be conducted on site.
Helping reduce fear and stress for children and families is a high priority at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital. That’s why the Pediatric Emergency Department staff includes not just doctors, nurses and technicians, but also Child Life Specialists who help children understand what is happening, prepare them for procedures and treatments, and ease the stress often associated with an emergency room visit.
The Pediatric Emergency Department expansion was supported by a $1 million donation from the Auxiliary of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. The hospital also received a generous donation from the University Radiology Group towards construction of the Pediatric Radiology Department.
Currently, more than 16,000 pediatric patients are treated at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital emergency department each year. RWJUH is home to the region’s first pediatric intensive care unit and only Level I Trauma Center with a pediatric commitment.
The first 100 patients to visit the new Pediatric Emergency Department will be given a free teddy bear in honor of the opening.
The Pediatric Emergency Department is just the most recent addition to the growing pediatric center of excellence taking shape on the medical campus in downtown New Brunswick shared by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Other elements coming soon include a Ronald McDonald House and the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, a biomedical research center dedicated to the study, prevention and cure of childhood diseases, being built by UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Children’s Specialized Hospital, a pediatric rehabilitation hospital based in Mountainside, also recently announced construction of a new hospital adjacent to The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Selected as one of four hospitals nationwide to offer the world's first self-contained implantable artificial heart, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.rwjuh.edu) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care in medicine. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women's and children's care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.
The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for both heart and heart surgery and respiratory disorders, according to U.S.News & World Report's 2008 ranking of "America's Best Hospitals." The American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer has rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is also a recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence for more than 10 consecutive years.
Attention members of the media: For more information on this release, please contact the Department of Public Relations (732) 937-8521.
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