Parkview’s commitment to provide specialized care close to home is a driving force for the region’s largest health system to build a robust team of pediatric physicians with advanced medical education and experience in such areas as pediatric cardiology, gastroenterology and neurology.
The commitment goes beyond the health of a child today. It’s about the community’s future.
“Kids are our future. In taking care of one child, you take care of the whole community,” says Thomas Miller, MD, physician executive overseeing Parkview Women’s and Children’s Services.
While primary care physicians provide the majority of day-to-day care of children, when a baby is born prematurely or has a congenital heart defect, a preschooler begins showing signs of autism spectrum disorder or a child is critically injured in an accident, a parent urgently wants that child to have the right pediatric specialty care close to home.
“We want the best of the best for our patients,” Miller says, which is why in 2012, Parkview recruited the area’s first pediatric infectious disease specialist, Dr. Robyn Schmucker. Three years later, developmental care specialist Dr. Lisa Bergeron joined Parkview to diagnose children with developmental delays and disabilities.
Today, Parkview’s pediatric specialists also include: two cardiologists; critical care/hospitalist physicians, with subspecialty in pediatric pulmonary medicine; a neurologist; a gastroenterologist; and a complex care specialist. Also providing care are six neonatologists and more than a dozen nurse practitioners within the various specialty areas, says Patti Brahe, senior vice president for Parkview Women’s and Children’s Services.
One in 10 babies born in Indiana is preterm, according to the March of Dimes. Many will have some level of developmental delay. Other children’s developmental delays may be because of chromosomal disorders. It is important to diagnose these early.
Bergeron also sees many children on the autism spectrum, now diagnosed in one in 59 U.S. children, according to the CDC. Brahe says that whatever the reason for a child to see Bergeron or any Parkview peds specialist, “The goal is to provide the best care for children.”
Ensuring optimal care is also why Parkview has entered into a collaborative relationship with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. In the very near future, Parkview pediatric specialists can consult with Cincinnati Children’s specialists through a secure telehealth system, with a child and the family at Parkview being heard and seen in real time by the Cincinnati doctors.
A serious or chronic illness in a child can turn a family’s world upside down. Parkview social workers are integral in ensuring the family’s emotional and social needs are addressed. Brahe says the Catie B Circle of Care program provides services to help parents better understand their child’s medical needs and improve continuity of care.
Look for the PPG pediatric team to grow, Miller says, noting Parkview is actively recruiting physicians. FWL
