Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital

Children's medical services

24-hour pediatric emergency services
Our pediatric emergency service is dedicated exclusively to children and designed with a friendly, efficient and comforting atmosphere. We treat more than 30,000 children for emergencies every year.

The pediatric emergency department treats children and adolescents who are acutely ill or injured. The department is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Treatment is overseen by pediatricians with special training in pediatric emergency medicine and care is delivered by pediatric residents, nurses and technicians. A certified child life specialist is available to support and prepare children and families for difficult procedures. Specialists are available for consultation at all times.

Pediatric Surgery Center
Trained pediatric personnel provide support to children--and their parents--having either an inpatient or outpatient surgical or a medical diagnostic procedure. We recognize the unique needs of children before, during and after a procedure and have tailored our Pediatric Surgery Center to these needs and the concerns of parents.

Within the pediatric surgery center are four operating rooms, a special treatment room and a post-anesthesia (recovery) care area devoted exclusively to pediatric patients. The largest staff of pediatric anesthesiologists in the state devoted exclusively to the care of children work around the clock with pediatric surgeons. Parents have an opportunity to be with a child before and after surgery or anesthesia.

A preadmission visit is encouraged to prepare children emotionally for surgery or diagnostic procedures in the Pediatric Surgery Center. The visit is packed with information in a form both children and parents can understand. Nursing, child life and anesthesia work as a team to prepare the child, personalizing the tour to child and parent. Preadmission visits are scheduled Monday - Friday in the afternoon. To schedule a preadmission visit, call the Pediatric Surgery Center, (203) 688-7996.

• Preparing your child for surgery or hospitalization
• Child Life Program

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Intensive care starts with intensive caring. We designed our new 11-bed pediatric ICU to be open and light, but intimate--with medical and nursing staff in close proximity to patients at all times. Specialized nurses provide one-on-one care for children recovering from illness, trauma, cardiothoracic surgery and transplant operations.

Newborn Special Care Unit (NBSCU)
In 1960, Yale-New Haven Hospital opened the world's first newborn special care unit. The NBSCU now has a new 46-bed home near Labor and Delivery. Premature infants and babies with congenital abnormalities or long-term problems receive devoted care from an unrivalled team of neonatologists, registered nurses and other specialists. We care for 1,500 infants a year and regularly accept transfers from hospitals in Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island.

Pediatric Specialty Center
A referral center for outpatient pediatric specialty services.

Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging
Yale University School of Medicine
A variety of examinations are performed in Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging including radiography (X-ray), fluoroscopy, sonography, cardiac catheterization and radioisotope imaging. There is a designated area for the observation of children who are recovering from sedation. Computed Tomography (CT) scans are performed on the second floor of the South Pavilion close to the Children's Hospital. Pediatric diagnostic imaging is staffed by physicians, technologists and nurses specializing in diagnostic imaging and the care of infants, children and adolescents.

Pediatric Respiratory Care Unit (PRCU)
This intermediate care unit meets the unique needs of children with chronic respiratory failure, while providing a more livable environment than an intensive care unit. A multidisciplinary team provides the care, time and space for parents to learn and become directly involved in the care of their technology-dependent child. Although chronic pulmonary conditions prompted the development of the PRCU, most patients have multiple medical problems that generate acute and chronic needs.

The PRCU specializes in complicated discharges; patients may go home on ventilators or with other specialized equipment and plans.

Children's Psychiatric Inpatient Unit
The Children's Psychiatric Inpatient Service (CPIS) combines the unique resources of the Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital with the world-renowned faculty of the departments of child psychiatry (Child Study Center) and pediatrics. CPIS provides comprehensive psychiatric, psychosocial and educational evaluation and short-term treatment for children ages 4 to 14 with neuropsychiatric, developmental and behavioral problems. Parents are encouraged to join the multidisciplinary treatment team to help better understand their child, initiate active treatment and develop an effective, comprehensive discharge plan.

In May 1998, the YNHCH opened a child psychiatric partial hospital program in conjunction with the inpatient service and the Yale Child Study Center. Located in rooms adjacent to the CPIS, the new mental health day treatment center serves children ages 4 to 14 and operates weekdays, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. during the school year and four hours a day during summer and vacation periods. In addition to children discharged from an inpatient setting, the program will soon accept referrals from community providers, clinics and schools.

Pediatric Dentistry Center
Provides preventive, comprehensive and urgent dental care for children up to 16 years old.

Pediatric Rehabilitation
Children receive physical and occupational therapy for physical, mental, cognitive or developmental disabilities resulting from illness, injury or another process. After evaluation, individualized treatments are designed to aid recovery and help a child make the most of his or her abilities. Rehabilitation might include activities encouraging a child's natural development, learning and relearning exercises, patient and family education and the use of equipment that helps a child adapt to, or overcome, disability.

Referrals
For a referral to a general pediatrician or pediatric specialist, see Physician Referral Online.

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Last revised: June 24, 2009 (dh)

Home page URL: http://www.ynhh.org

All information is intended for your general knowledge and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before starting a new fitness regimen.