When your child is having a health emergency, seconds count – and a new state recognition confirms you don’t need to drive to Atlanta to get the help they need. Three Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) emergency departments are now the first in the state to be accredited as Pediatric Readiness Centers (PRC) by the Georgia Department of Public Health.
“Simply put, this means that parents shouldn’t drive past NGMC hospitals when their kids need emergency care,” said Hersh Mathur, MD, medical director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine for Northeast Georgia Health System. “This accreditation means our teams have the skills to assess pediatric patients, provide life-saving care if needed and coordinate fast medical transport to continue providing care while taking a patient to a specialized provider like Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta or a burn center if needed.”
Georgia’s Pediatric Readiness Centers program ensures hospitals meet rigorous standards for pediatric-specific training, equipment and resources, helping to improve outcomes for young patients in emergency situations.
NGMC Barrow and NGMC Braselton are designated as Level III centers, which the state defines as being “capable of the initial evaluation and stabilization of a critically ill child and can provide appropriate, timely transfer to a higher level of care if needed.”
NGMC Gainesville is designated as a Level II center, which includes the same capabilities as Level III but adds access to the hospital’s onsite inpatient pediatric unit.
“NGMC Gainesville’s inpatient pediatric unit allows us to provide high-quality, family-centered care for children who need hospitalization,” said Ramanpreet Dhindsa, MD, medical director of Pediatrics at NGMC and a pediatrician with Longstreet Clinic. “We have a team of board-certified pediatricians, specialty-trained nurses and support staff who are committed to ensuring every child receives the right level of care in a comforting environment close to home. Whether a child arrives at our Gainesville emergency department or is transferred from one of our other hospitals, we’re able to seamlessly continue their care and support their recovery.”
NGMC Gainesville’s new emergency department on the ground floor of the Green Tower, which opened Saturday, Feb. 8, features a dedicated pediatric waiting area named in honor of longtime local pediatrician Dr. William T. “Buddy” Langston.
“At NGMC, we recognize that children have unique medical needs, and our emergency teams are committed to delivering expert, compassionate care tailored to our youngest patients,” said Walt Wiley, executive director for Emergency, Trauma, Observation and EMS Services at NGMC. “Earning these pediatric readiness designations demonstrates our ongoing investment in pediatric emergency care and our commitment to the families we serve.”
For more information about NGMC’s Emergency Departments, visit nghs.com/emergency.