Centegra's Huntley hospital will offer 24/7 pediatric care
Centegra Hospital-Huntley will offer 24-hour pediatric care when it opens this August.
Centegra Health System is partnering with Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago to staff the Huntley hospital with hospitalists who are board-certified pediatricians. They will provide 24-hour inpatient care, coordinate with children's primary care physicians, and assist with pediatric emergencies.
"Children should have access to the best pediatric care without having to leave their community," said Michael Eesley, Centegra Health System chief executive officer. "Our partnership with Lurie Children's brings expert care to Centegra Hospital-Huntley so children and families can get the care they need close to home."
Hospitals increasingly are using hospitalists to provide higher levels of on-site physician presence to guide and monitor around-the-clock treatment plans, coordinating with family physicians, pediatricians and nursing staff.
"We look forward to having a major pediatric presence within Centegra Health System, and in McHenry and Kane counties," said Patrick Magoon, Lurie Children's Hospital president and CEO. "We are able to advance care by having our hospitalists - who are skilled, board-certified physicians - staff their pediatric programs in a most convenient and cost-effective setting."
Lurie is one of the top children's hospitals in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. It is the pediatric training ground for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and among a handful of children's hospitals with a dedicated pediatric research center, the Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute.
Lurie and Centegra also are collaborating to provide a higher level of cardiology and concussion care. Starting this fall, Lurie cardiologists will see patients at Centegra Health Center-Huntley.
Cardiologists from Lurie already review all pediatric electrocardiograms and echocardiograms performed at Centegra.
When Centegra Health System providers diagnose a child with a concussion, those children will be referred to Lurie's Concussion Program at the Institute for Sports Medicine. The program supports children throughout recovery, providing guidance so they can transition smoothly to academic and athletic activities.
"Centegra understands that children have different medical needs than adults," said Laura Bianconi, medical director of pediatrics with Centegra Physician Care. "We are treating whole families when a child is sick, not just pediatric disease, and this association with one of the nation's top children's hospitals elevates our ability to care for our youngest patients."