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closeA new era of pediatric care at Good Sam
Opening of Mary Bridge unit at Puyallup Hospital provides dedicated child health care in East Pierce
Chris Albert
On Sept. 3, the Mary Bridge Pediatric Care unit at Good Samaritan opened its doors marking a new era of child care for the hospital.
Having a unit dedicated to pediatrics will be a welcome addition to health care in East Pierce County, said Terry Mars, a nurse for the Mary Bridge unit.
“I think it will make a major difference in the community,” she said.
Parents won’t have to drive as far and child patients won’t have to be treated next to adults, Mars said.
They won’t have to drive to the main campus in Tacoma, said Barbara Dildine, a nurse for the Puyallup Mary Bridge unit.
“The need is here,” she said.
The Puyallup unit will work closely with the main Tacoma campus and have been for several months leading up to the Good Samaritan opening. The nurses have been training with Mary Bridge staff to streamline procedures and protocols.
“I think it was a big help,” Mars said. “Now we can put a face to a name. I just feel there is a lot of camaraderie there.”
The unit will also have several pediatricians, called hospitalists, dedicated to providing in-hospital care.
Child patients can have their primary provider, but the hospitalists are around to provide around the clock care and be a connecting point for primary providers.
The staffs’ comfort level should extend to patients. The pediatric unit has eight single rooms, with a place for a parent or caregiver to stay and specialized child equipment like cribs and medical pumps. The cribs were purchased with $200,000 raised at this year’s Good Samaritan Foundation’s Corks and Crush gala.
“It’s better for kids who are sick to have someone here in the middle of the night,” Mars said.
“If you are a two-year-old and you are in the hospital, it’s very important to have your own room,” said Dr. Katie Kazmier, a hospitalist at the Puyallup unit.
And every child likes having their own room at home, so why not at the hospital, said Dr. Susan Ingrao, a hospitalist at the Puyallup unit.
There is a play area for children to forget they are in the hospital.
“When a child is here they are not having fun,” said Jennifer Aalgaard, Good Samaritan spokesperson. “We want to make sure they feel comfortable.”
Comfort level is important in providing care, Kazmier said. The comfort must also extend to the family.
“I think that’s one of the big differences with pediatrics,” said Dr. Martin Maimon, a hospitalist at the Puyallup unit. “I think that’s something pediatricians are use to dealing with as well as nurses who deal with pediatrics.”