Print
E-Mail
tool name
closePediatric care is top priority
Ronn Goodnough / Manager of Pediatrics at Good Samaritan Hospital
Beginning Sept. 3, the landscape for pediatric care in East Pierce County will expand. Physicians and staff at MultiCare’s Good Samaritan Hospital are pleased to announce Mary Bridge Pediatric Care at Good Samaritan, a partnership between Good Samaritan Hospital and Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Center.
Through this partnership, children, their parents and community physicians, providers will be connected to the area’s most trusted children’s hospital with enhanced access to quality pediatric care.
Ideal patient experience
Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, located in Tacoma, has been serving the South Sound since 1955, and will now bring the philosophies and strengths of pediatric expertise and services to Good Samaritan.
This partnership will make it possible for more children to receive inpatient pediatric care closer to home while keeping connected to their local pediatricians and providers every step of the way.
Mary Bridge Pediatric Care at Good Samaritan will feel a bit different the moment you step off the elevator. The unit is designed with the children and their families in mind. Every patient room is single-occupancy including space for a sleeper chair, so that a parent can stay with their child. A family center with a play space, big screen TV, computer with Internet access and video games are available for families. Vibrant new Northwest wildlife artwork adorns the unit and waiting room.
The design of the pediatric unit includes visuals that offer a therapeutic distraction, activities and a calming atmosphere. The space is designed as part of the healing environment for a child and their family.
Clinical enhancements
The newly expanded pediatric unit at Good Samaritan Hospital will benefit from having pediatric hospitalists on staff.
Mary Bridge Inpatient Pediatric Service will provide physician coverage for the Good Samaritan pediatric department, Good Samaritan’s Special Care Nursery and be available for consultation. These inpatient pediatricians, or hospitalists, function as an extension of a child’s primary care provider, offering on-site personalized care to hospitalized children. They also serve children who do not have a pediatrician available for their hospital stay.
This service is offered to all patients as well as referring community providers, regardless of their hospital privileges.
Our collaborative program keeps the primary care provider updated throughout a child’s hospital treatment. This is especially beneficial for providers in outlying communities or those not able to leave their busy office practice to make hospital rounds. Upon discharge from the hospital, a child is returned to the care of their pediatrician along with a discharge summary and follow-up phone call from the hospitalists.
Good Samaritan pediatric nursing staff are currently participating in a 2-month fellowship at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Center in Tacoma prior to the opening of the new unit at Good Samaritan. This is an opportunity for the nurses to enhance current skills and develop new ones, all while creating a team relationship with their counterparts at the Tacoma site.
With the expansion of the unit, new technology to support advanced patient care is also being added. Some of the enhancements include a new cardio-respiratory monitor system and new cribs with added safety features to treat the most fragile of patients.
Good Samaritan Hospital strives to be the medical center of choice for the residents of East Pierce County and with the addition of Mary Bridge Pediatric Care we hope to exceed expectations.