Salem Health now offers 24/7 pediatric hospital care and full line of specialties
Pediatricians from Salem Health and OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital provide local inpatient care for children, allowing families to stay close to home for hospital services.
Some diagnoses and illnesses will require transfer to a higher level of care, for example when a pediatric intensive care unit is needed. However, many children whose diagnoses previously resulted in transfer to a different location can now stay in the mid-Willamette Valley for care with the availability of this new team.
“The planning and development for this program began well over a year ago,” said Lisa Ketchum, RN, Salem Health women’s and children’s services director. “We’re so thrilled to be able to offer these services so that families can spend less time in the car and more time getting their kids healthy again.”
Community partners, providers and Salem Health leadership gave input to the planning and development of the program, allowing the pediatric hospitalists to provide inpatient care starting in September. The team started providing 24/7 coverage Nov. 6.
Salem Health’s pediatric hospitalists partner with the patient’s primary care doctor to ensure continuity of care, from the clinic to the hospital and back.
“I look forward to working with our community providers,” said Jill Pearson, MD, Salem Health pediatric hospitalist medicine director. “We are fortunate to have so many amazing pediatricians and family practitioners in the area to partner with in this mission to provide excellent care to the children of our surrounding communities.”
A full line of outpatient pediatric specialty services is also available through the OHSU Doernbecher Clinic located on the Salem Hospital campus. The team of providers offer high-level care in the following services:
- Cardiology.
- Developmental pediatrics.
- Endocrinology.
- Fetal therapy.
- Gastroenterology.
- General surgery.
- Pulmonology.
- Orthopedics.
- Urology.
About Salem Health: Salem Health offers exceptional care to people in and around Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley. It comprises hospitals in Salem and Dallas, a medical group of primary and specialty care providers, plus other affiliated services. Visit us at www.salemhealth.org; “Like” us on www.facebook.com/salemhealth; follow us on Twitter: @salemhealth; and view us at www.youtube.com/salemhealth. More information: Salem Health media relations, available 24/7 at 971-718-3157.