St. Joseph's Children's Hospital opens new Steinbrenner Children's Emergency/Trauma Center

St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Tampa opened its new and expanded Steinbrenner Children's Emergency/Trauma Center Dec. 16, 2013. The hospital has the busiest children's emergency center in the region, and the larger, advanced facility will increase the community's access to the highest level of pediatric emergency care in the area.

The state-certified level II pediatric trauma referral center treats more than 45,000 children each year and operates with a staff of physicians who are board-certified in pediatric emergency medicine. In addition, pediatric specialists in areas such as neurology, orthopedics, urology and plastic surgery also are available 24-hours-a-day, which is especially significant when treating patients with multiple injuries.

"Our physicians are specifically trained to care for pediatric emergencies, which is something you won't find in most emergency rooms," said St. Joseph's Children's Hospital Emergency Services Manager Lorene Rice. "This means each child seen here is being evaluated by a specialist, trained to care for a child's unique needs."

The new facility features 24 private patient rooms and a kids-only lobby specifically designed to provide comfort, distraction and entertainment to children and families.  

Other highlights of the new Emergency/Trauma Center include:

• Two trauma suites with advanced critical care equipment designed exclusively for pediatric patients and in-room digital imaging
• Six 'fast track' rooms to treat patients with minor emergencies
• In-room entertainment system featuring movies, educational games and more
• An interactive fish pond in the flooring, bubble towers and other kid-friendly decorations in the lobby
• Child Life Specialists to help kids understand and cope emotionally with the medical experience and provide developmentally appropriate distraction activities during treatment
• Child Advocates to deliver education and safety items to families
• Other support systems including social workers, volunteers, pet therapy and more
• Neonatal/pediatric transport team available to provide expedited transportation from other area hospital.

"As the primary provider of children's health needs in Tampa Bay, we know firsthand how difficult it can be for families to deal with an unexpected trip to the emergency room or injury," said Rice. "Just because a child's injury or illness is traumatic doesn't mean the hospital experience has to be."

SOURCE St. Joseph's Children's Hospital