The phrase “growing like a weed” seems fitting. To meet the expanding needs of families and providers in the region, the Carle Pediatrics team is building on its strong foundation of high-quality care in central Illinois.
These additional pediatric services make a difference to area families.
Jackie Klein’s daughter, Maggie, has a mild case of cystic fibrosis and speaks very highly of the care she’s receiving.
“We have fully used the clinic between the doctor himself (Donald Davison, MD), nurses, respiratory therapists and social workers. Everyone is right there, which is really nice and why we love it so much,” Klein said.
Kayla Banks, vice president for Women’s Health and Pediatrics, said adding more specialty providers helps keep patients and families closer to home.
“The team deliberately identified key areas that bear the largest and most important results for kids in the community,” David Chan, MD, medical director, Pediatrics, and pediatric cardiologist, said.
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On top of welcoming Dr. Chan, Pediatrics has expanded to include two pediatric surgeons, a pediatric geneticist, two neonatology physicians, a critical care physician, a pediatric emergency medicine physician, a pediatric anesthesiologist and a pediatric hospitalist.
Most of all, they aren’t stopping.
“Besides adding doctors, we are looking at our care-delivery models, especially for our newborn population. We’re adding advanced practice providers and pediatric hospitalists to care for those patients,” Banks said.
One of Pediatrics’ new recruits, Molly Jonna, MD, dedicates her time caring for children in the Emergency Department (ED), seeing newborns through 18-year-olds.
“I frequently treat viral infections, issues with asthma and breathing, and over the summer, several injuries and broken bones,” Dr. Jonna said. “It can be intimidating for a child to come into the ED, so it helps to have pediatricians who are familiar with working with children and their specific ailments.”
Dr. Jonna and the Pediatric team treats and supports families through the entire process no matter where they connect with care.
“My daughter started a new medicine, and the doctors and nurses worked with us amazingly well to get it all done – taught us how to use the medicine and when to use it, everything,” Klein said.
Besides bringing in more doctors, changing care delivery models and starting a 24/7 Pediatric Transport Team, Carle was designated Baby-Friendly, recertified as an Emergency Department Approved for Pediatrics (EDAP), and is awaiting Level III perinatal recertification.
“We are a safety net for a lot of our community partners and smaller hospitals that don’t have any pediatric care or have very limited ability to care for children in their communities. Plus, we are thinking about the higher level of care that we aren’t able to provide or don’t plan on adding at Carle and making sure we have strong partnerships in place to be able to give our patients as much coordinated care as possible,” Banks said.
Categories: Staying Healthy
Tags: Carle, NICU, pediatrics, baby friendly, cardiology, Chan, heart and vascular