|
|
May 28, 1999/13 Sivan 5759, Vol. 51, No.35
Putting children first
Hospital focuses on needs of kids
KARENA BLACK
Editorial Assistant
Scott Thomas may be hooked to an intravenous tube, but that doesn't stop him from enjoying the toys in the playroom at Phoenix Children's Hospital.
Photo by Karena Black
|
Many hospitals have pediatric wards, but only one hospital in the state focuses solely on the unique medical needs of children, attracting patients from across the West and Southwest to its specialized, one-of-a-kind facility.
Phoenix Children's Hospital at 1111 E. McDowell Road in Phoenix, has grown from a limited service 50-bed unit with a staff of 12, when it opened in 1983, to a 219-bed facility with an in-house staff of 40, and a large outpatient practice that includes more than 600 staff physicians.
The story of PCH is a long narrative of treating and caring for thousands of patients who shouldn't have to be facing illness at a young age, but nevertheless do.
Susan and Andy Levy sought the service of the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, the largest in the Southwest, following the birth of two of their three children.
Their second child, Benjamin, was born eight weeks early and spent one month in intensive care. During Susan's third pregnancy, her doctor determined she had an incompetent cervix, one that could not hold the weight of a pregnancy. Despite bed rest, a home monitor and weekly doctor appointments, Susan gave birth to son Sammy 14 weeks early. He weighed just 2 pounds, 2 ounces. Sammy went home three months later, when he had reached a safe weight of 4 pounds, 10 ounces.
While he is now a healthy 7-year-old, he needed continued, specialized care at home for more than a year after his birth.
"I just thank God for Phoenix Children's Hospital," said Susan. "We had the best doctors, nurses and hospital. I really believe that's why he's here. I'm very lucky."
Often referred to as a "hospital within a hospital," PCH is located inside Good Samaritan Hospital Regional Medical Center, where it leases the fourth and eighth floors.
"We fill the need for critical mass in a concentrated area with our multi-disciplinary staff," said Dr. Melvin L. Cohen, pediatrician in chief and director of medical information at the hospital. "You can't get the job done of taking care of the complex problems often associated with children without special equipment and the right professionals to draw upon."
The hospital fulfills the needs of patients and families on many levels. During their in-hospital stay, children are comforted by the normalcy of having playtime either in the playroom or at bedside.
They also can keep up with their class work at the hospital's 1 Darn Cool School. A staff member works as liaison between the child's school or homebound teacher to keep the child current with the curriculum.
"Many (younger) kids have anxiety about missing school," said Carla Woyak, hospital school teacher. "When they find out we've been in touch with their teacher, they are very excited. We also encourage their class and/or teachers to communicate by phone or letters so (the children will) feel connected."
The hospital's school program offers a morning session for kindergarten through fifth-grade, and an afternoon session for grades six through 12, as well as bedside teaching for children who are too ill to come to the classroom.
Parents, too, often find themselves needing education - about their child's illness. In 1990, the hospital opened the Emily Anderson Family Learning Center inside its Phoenix outpatient clinic, a free-standing building also located on the Good Samaritan campus. Here, families can access a library of pediatric health resources for children and adults, including books, video- and audio-tapes, journals and Internet sites. The center is staffed by nurses who provide help in finding and understanding the necessary medical information.
"Patient teaching is part of the nursing role," said Eileen Mitchell, a nurse and health information specialist at the center. "Although it's very informal, we educate by helping parents choose the most appropriate information for their child's condition."
David Israel found the learning center invaluable during the weeks between his daughter's birth and her surgery at the hospital (see accompanying story). "I went probably four to six times to try to get as educated and informed as possible. When doctors talked to us in technical terms, we could talk back, which really helped. It was my psychological support to get over there and do that research," he said.
The center is a partner with Phoenix Public Library, and its collections can be searched through the library's catalog, making them easily accessible to the general public.
The hospital also helps families off campus in a variety of ways. In 1996, the hospital joined with Olsten-Kimberly QualityCare to begin a program called Children's HomeCare. Illnesses that previously kept a child confined to the hospital now can often be treated at home with regular nurse visits.
In the same year, PCH opened two additional outpatient specialty care centers in Scottsdale and Glendale, so that families living outside the immediate downtown Phoenix area do not have to travel far.
Within Phoenix public schools, the hospital has established three clinics that provide free medical care to needy students. The clinics, at Phoenix Preparatory Academy, Edison Elementary School and Garfield Elementary School, provide primary and preventative medical services, including vision and dental care.
"We have a referral system in the schools through teachers, counselors and nurses to help identify kids who have no health insurance," said Cyndy Ferguson, pediatric nurse practitioner and program director of school-based health programs. "We also identify kids who are eligible for AHCCCS (Pronounced "access," the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System is the state's health care plan for the poor) or KidsCare, but whose parents may not know how to sign up for it."
The three clinics serve approximately 1,200 families, and PCH hopes to expand with two more such centers, Ferguson said.
Further expansion of the hospital has been under study by a community steering committee since last fall, according to Burl Stamp, president and chief executive officer at PCH. The hospital's rented space is rapidly becoming too small to accommodate the needs of the Valley's expanding population, and the hospital is working on plans for its own building, he said. Stamp anticipates a public announcement next month.
"We've outgrown our space here," added Cohen. "We have a great need for more inpatient services and even outpatient clinics. We turned away about 1,000 people this winter and had to send them to other facilities."
The non-profit hospital provides care regardless of a family's ability to pay. It has an annual budget of $100 million to $150 million, most of which comes from state and federal funding, private insurance companies and charitable donations.
"People are very generous with Phoenix Children's Hospital," said Stamp. "We have a multitude of company-sponsored charity events throughout the year, including golf tournaments and charity dinners. The list is a long one."
|
