Children of all ages in need of emergency medical treatment will now have a place designed especially for them, as
Baptist Memorial Health Care is ready to open the Spence and Becky Wilson Baptist Children’s Hospital to the public on January 28 in East Memphis. A VIP grand opening ceremony will be held on January 22.
"We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to group all of our pediatric services in one convenient location," says Anita Vaughn, CEO and Administrator of the new hospital. "Patient families, physicians and insurance providers have consistently asked for pediatric services on the
Baptist Women's Hospital campus."
The hospital is highlighted by a 17,000-square-foot emergency department staffed with pediatric emergency medicine physicians who will provide 24/7 coverage. A 2,000-square-foot pediatric diagnostic area will include diagnostics and surgery prep areas. Additional services will include Baptist's first pediatric general surgeon, several ENT surgeons and a number of pediatric eye surgeons.
"Our pediatricians have overwhelmingly given support and input," Vaughn says.
The emergency department features ten large bays for care--two orthopedic, two general, one gynecological, one for psychiatric evaluation and four respiratory.
In May 2012, Baptist began transitioning pediatric services from its flagship hospital, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis, to the pediatric facility located adjacent to Baptist Women's Hospital to provide a continuum of care for area families in a convenient location.
The hospital will eventually house 12 inpatient beds plus outpatient surgery services and the Pediatric Eye Center, the only clinic in the Mid-South that offers the full continuum of eye care from diagnosis to treatment to surgery to follow-up. Previously, patients in need had to travel several hours for specialized pediatric eye care.
The cost of the new hospital is estimated at $14.5 million.
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