Pottstown >> Pottstown Memorial Medical Center and Nemours Children’s Health System have announced a partnership designed to provide advanced pediatric care for families in Pottstown and surrounding communities.
Under the collaboration, which began July 1 and announced earlier this month, pediatric hospitalists – doctors that care for patients while they are in the hospital – trained and employed by Nemours will work with the staff on the inpatient pediatrics floor. They will also provide consults in PMMC’s Emergency Department and will attend high-risk deliveries.
According to Judy Batterson, director, women’s and children’s services, PMMC currently has three full-time doctors managing the pediatric needs of the hospital.
“Nemours has been available to provide their policies and protocols and they have supported ongoing education of the nursing staff related to their preferred care delivery and the new equipment we will be using,” Batterson said in an emailed response to questions.
Should a higher level of care be required, PMMC has access to consultative services provided remotely via telemedicine by critical care physicians located at Nemours/Alfred I DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del. When advanced pediatric services of a children’s hospital are required, PMMC has access to Nemours Kids Transport, an emergency transport system designed to safely transport children to DuPont Hospital for Children.
“Keeping kids local for emergency and hospital care eases the burden for families by eliminating the need for travel,” said Rich Newell, PMMC CEO in a press release. “PMMC is proud to bring an enhanced level of pediatric care to our community through our relationship with Nemours. This collaboration and the resources Nemours provides will be an asset for our patients.”
PMMC opened its pediatric unit in 2012 in an effort to help families avoid traveling long distances to receive pediatric care by providing that care close to home. Prior to the unit’s opening in 2012, PMMC admitted 20 to 30 pediatric patients a year, with others receiving treatment at hospitals around the region.
According to statistics provided by the hospital, 600 pediatric patients a month are seen in PMMC’s Emergency Department, with about 150 pediatric patients admitted to PMMC’s pediatric unit annually.
Dr. Phillip Cook serves as the site chief for Nemours DuPont Pediatrics at PMMC. Board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and licensed in Pennsylvania since 1989, Cook is a licensed attorney and has been a member of the American Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association since 1998. Cook is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a member of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation.
“At Nemours, we made a promise to do whatever it takes to help children grow up healthy and reach their full potential,” said Mark Ogino, M.D., Medical Director for Nemours DuPont Pediatrics. “Working with the providers and staff at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, we can help children in and around Pottstown get off to a healthy start from birth by providing high quality specialized pediatric care in a community health care setting.”
Phoenixville Hospital also has a collaborative relationship with Nemours Children’s Health System. PMMC and Phoenixville Hospital are both owned by Tennessee-based Community Health Systems, which operates 158 hospitals in 22 states with approximately 27,000 licensed beds.
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