Health First and Nemours Partner to Expand Pediatric Care in Brevard County

Health First, Brevard County’s leading health care provider, and Nemours today announced a partnership that will bring expanded pediatric care to the region through a newly created pediatric hospitalist program at Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne. Holmes Regional Medical Center is the Space Coast’s largest hospital featuring 514 beds, the Heart Center and the area’s only level two trauma center. The new program will provide 24-hour hospitalist care for patients and families that will reduce the need to transport patients out of the region for inpatient pediatric care and also help local pediatricians with necessary inpatient rounds that would otherwise limit their ability to assist other patients in their offices. Several pediatric hospitalists are being recruited for the new program and it will be fully operational by August 31, 2011. 

Hospital-based pediatricians, also called “hospitalists,” are board-certified pediatricians who provide care for hospitalized children who need treatment for illnesses such as asthma, croup, gastroenteritis, dehydration, infections, as well as unexplained abdominal pain and persistent headaches. They also treat children who have medical problems associated with chronic illness and will provide Emergency Department consults and newborn coverage. This team cares for patients from the time they are admitted to the time of discharge, and is part of a branch of medicine that is one of the fastest growing medical specialties.

During a child’s stay, the hospitalist may serve as the attending physician overseeing the care a child receives while also providing careful coordination of services and communication with the referring or primary care physician and family, as well as any other consultants a patient may need. This sharing of information will be managed through the use of an electronic health record (EHR) that allows all consulting doctors and families access to the latest information about a child’s medical care, test results, and plans for management. Both Nemours and Health First have been recognized for being at the forefront of EHR advancements and are currently collaborating to make a seamless connection between the two systems.

 
Expanding the depth and breadth of pediatric services for the Space Coast region is consistent with the missions of both organizations. Health First and Nemours look forward to working together on growing programs that could include clinical, health and prevention programs, research and education that will consistently improve the care of children.

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