First Regional Children's ER to Open at Lehigh Valley Hospital

Hospital emergency rooms are not known to be fun places, or anywhere you'd want to spend any length of time. But the balloons, bubbles and wagon rides that greeted guests Monday at might have made a young patient feel differently about a visit to the hospital.

That is the hope, at least, behind the Salisbury  Township hospital's new Children's ER, the only one in the region, which was unveiled this past Monday during a "soft" opening to the media. The 12-bed Children's ER is not open yet, but is expected soon, officials said.

Dr. Ron Swinfard, president and chief executive officer of Lehigh Valley Health Network, said the new Children’s ER will become a “beacon” for people seeking emergency medical care for their children.

“It will change the perception of what a child’s visit to the ER is like, and will give our children the level of emergency care they deserve,” Swinfard said.

The idea behind the Children’s ER was to create an anxiety-free environment for children, who often feel frightened and overwhelmed by chaotic emergency rooms, filled with adults and strange sights, sounds and smells. 

Dr. Andrew Miller, the medical director of the Children's ER, said the new facility was designed through the eyes of a child. The first thing children will notice in the waiting room is a seven-foot tall toy Ferris wheel.  LVH's new 7,000 square-foot Children's ER has its own waiting room, which helps eliminate the stress children feel when among sick and injured adults, he said.

But the changes are not just cosmetic or a matter of design.

The Children's ER will be staffed with specialists in pediatric medicine.

“Board-certified pediatric emergency medicine physicians will care for children with serious illnesses and injuries. It’s rare to find a physician who specializes in this area of care,” said Dr. Rick MacKenzie, chair of emergency medicine.

Dr. Amy Dunn will lead the team in the Children’s ER along with the support of eight pediatric nurses, half who come from a pediatric critical care background and the other half from an ER background. A child-life specialist will also be there to help children cope with any fears associated with visiting a hospital.

The unit uses specialized equipment built for children’s smaller sizes,  including pediatric ultrasound machines with smaller probes, airway equipment and stethoscopes. The toilet seats have even been customized. A portable digital X-ray machine will be used bedside for basic needs.

Pain management methods will be geared towards children, such as the use of special creams that numb the skin prior to an injection or blood withdrawal. Distraction techniques will also be implemented that could involve using bubbles, music, movies or sugar-coated pacifiers to allay fears and anxiety. Other options could include  nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, such as when an IV or catheter needs to be inserted, or for spinal taps, setting bones or cleaning serious wounds.  Older children will be given the ability to administer their own nitrous oxide, leaving them with a feeling of control over the situation.

The need for a children's emergency room became apparent in recent years. More than 15,000 children visit LVH's emergency room and that number is expected to nearly double by 2017  "based on an increase in population and the expanding medical needs of our community," MacKenzie said.

LVH's new Children's ER is one of only 110 in the nation. Until now, the closest children's emergency room was in Philadelphia.  Although there is no formal relationship between and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Swinfard said  many of the specialists who work at LVH trained at CHOP and continue to have strong relationships there.

“This is not pretending to be a CHOP," Swinfard said. "But we think 90-95% of the care children need can now be taken care of within our network. But if a child needs higher levels of care, then we have a close relationship with CHOP and many of those are personal relationships.”

Mike and Christine Perrucci, donors to LVH's pediatric department, said they were glad they have a local option for emergency care for their children.

"We're comforted to know our children will not have to go to a traditional ER where they might see things they shouldn’t have to see. Our community’s children deserve this level of care,” Mike Perrucci said.

The Children's ER will service children up to the age of 18 and will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., the hours children typically visit an emergency room.

Additional information about the Children’s ER is available at childrensER.com, lvhn.org and on facebook.com/LVHealthNetwork.