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Children and their parents will follow a blue river pattern in the floor from the current Emergency Department to a waiting room that is not only stocked with new toys and activities for the children, but free wireless internet access for parents who bring their own laptop computers. The latest in medical technology is available in the exam rooms. “The buck stops with us. We have everything necessary to take care of children: monitors in every exam room that are linked to the central nursing station to allow constant observation of a patient’s vital signs, and headboards equipped with the latest in medical technology. In addition, two of the exam rooms can function as isolation rooms — providing negative air pressure to isolate children with communicable diseases.” Overhead cameras also provide around-the-clock security to patients and staff.

But the most special thing about the 24-hour facility is less visible: the pediatric specialists, from physicians and nurses to a child life consultant, who have been assembled to tend to all the medical problems, from minor to life threatening that afflict children from around the Bay Area. Dr. Dannenberg himself is one of only a few physicians in the country who have completed medical residencies in both pediatrics and emergency medicine—rendering him uniquely able to treat medical emergencies in the smallest of patients. Most children who need emergency treatment have infectious conditions, such as colds, acute gastroenteritis, croup, and bronchiolitis. Others have chronic, recurrent illnesses such as asthma, sickle cell disease, cancer, hemophilia, AIDS, or seizures. Kids with acute traumatic injuries, from serious motor vehicle crashes, window falls or severe burns to simple fractures and lacerations, round out the department’s roster of reluctant visitors.

Although most of these children can be adequately cared for in a ‘normal’ Emergency Department, Pediatric Emergency Departments affiliated with children’s hospitals have some unique advantages above and beyond the child-friendly atmosphere. “Emergency physicians are trained to take care of children and do an excellent job,” says Dr. Dannenberg. “but their resources are often limited specifically when it comes to obtaining specialty treatment from, for example, trauma surgeons or pediatric neurosurgeons.” In contrast, Packard Children's Hospital, as a tertiary care facility with all pediatric specialties, routinely accepts cases that require a higher level of care from local community hospitals, such as severe pediatric traumas and those requiring pediatric intensive care.

The Pediatric Emergency Department is a testament to the commitment of Stanford Hospital, Packard Children's Hospital, and the community to provide the very best care to sick and frightened children. More than 50 donors and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation together contributed to the project, which was also financially supported by both hospitals. Individual donors paid for the whimsical river in the floor, the iMac computers and other child-friendly improvements in each room. “We have listened to the community and now have a facility specifically built for and dedicated to children.”