Having a child in the hospital can be stressful for the child and his/her loved
ones. Thanks to our Children's Medical Center's collaboration with
HealthAlliance Hospital and Milford Regional Medical Center, parents of children
in these community hospitals can be confident that sick children are receiving
care from hospitalist physicians specially trained in pediatric inpatient
care.
"Parents have been quite receptive to the idea of having a pediatrician on
site," said Katy Hannigan, DO, chief of pediatric hospital medicine at
HealthAlliance, our community hospital in Leominster/Fitchburg. "The program is
a great benefit to the community since inpatient pediatric care is offered
24/7."
The launch of this Pediatric Hospitalist Program not only helps meet our
strategic goal of coordinating care across our UMass Memorial system, but also
improves communication with both the patient's primary care doctor and specialty
physicians involved in the child's care.
For almost 10 years, Milford Regional Medical Center has also partnered with
our Children's Medical Center on its own Pediatric Hospitalist Program,
PediTeam. "In addition to providing pediatric inpatient care, we are available
for emergency deliveries and Cesarean sections. Our presence has helped our
hospital grow from delivering 500 babies per year to more than 1,000," noted
Peter Sell, DO, director of PediTeam. "Consulting on ED cases and providing an
afterhours urgent care clinic are additional ways we serve children, physicians
and the community."