1. PedsED_Room.jpg – Florida Hospital for Children’s pediatric emergency department offers a soothing environment for patients along with a dedicated pediatric emergency medicine team;Patients in Florida Hospital for Childre

Florida Hospital for Children doubles in size; other projects moving forward

Florida Hospital for Children recently doubled the size of its pediatric emergency department to provide emergency care for the growing population and needs of pediatric patients in Central Florida.
The expansion comes less than four years after the emergency department opened with eight private rooms. The newly expanded 16-bed pediatric emergency department features private suites with bathrooms for patients, a child-friendly waiting area and a highly-trained pediatric emergency care team. Also, the high-tech Philips Ambient Experience lighting system in every room allows patients to change wall designs – and even the color of the room. Every room also features a flat screen TV with access to the GetWellNetwork® interactive tool that entertains, educates and allows patients to provide real time feedback on their experience in the hospital.

“Our volume has increased as the community has expanded, yet our growth hasn’t come about simply because of the increased population,” said Dennis Hernandez, MD, medical director of pediatric emergency medicine at Florida Hospital for Children, a Walt Disney Company partner. “We’re very family-centric, with patient satisfaction consistently ranked in the 99thpercentile. We work diligently to have no-wait emergency care so that patients are brought straight to a room, triaged, with everything done bedside. The ambient lighting provides a calmer atmosphere and engages the patient and parent or caregiver, which helps our team provide the best possible care and allows them to leave with a better understanding of post-ER care. The community has seen that we can handle volume in a short amount of time.”
Hernandez pointed out that Florida Hospital for Children has a Level 4 pediatric epilepsy center, with surgical intervention for refractory seizures, and has one of the largest networks of pediatric subspecialists, including pulmonary transplant surgeons and pediatric cardiologists.

“In 2012, we’re opening a pediatric open heart program, which we’re pretty excited about,” said Hernandez. “Everything’s set in place, with training to begin with the nursing team in March, and in June, we expect to have our first pediatric open heart surgery.”
As part of Florida Hospital, pediatric specialists and subspecialists at the children’s hospital have access to the newest and most advanced technology, such as the daVinci Si Surgical System.
“With more technology available that pediatric surgeons are able to use, we can treat children with more complex situations and illnesses who may not have made it without that high tech quality of care,” he said.
Hernandez emphasized that Florida Hospital for Children may be the only one of its kind in the United States with an intraoperative MRI .

“This is especially beneficial for children with epilepsy, so that our pediatric neurosurgeons have the luxury of performing an MRI during surgery when needed,” he said.
The overall mission, Hernandez said, is to harbor an environment that fosters better outcomes.
“When the patient is less anxious and more relaxed, we know they heal faster,” he said. “We have created an environment here that not only offers expert pediatric care, but also an excellent patient experience .”

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