It is a fact of life — children get
sick and children get hurt. And as
any parent can attest, most of these
mishaps seem to occur after 5:00 PM,
when the pediatrician’s office is closed
That’s why Huntington Hospital’s
Clark Gillies Children’s Emergency Care
Center opened. Here, parents have a
special place to obtain after-hours care
for their children. Staffed by
Board-certified pediatric emergency
physicians and registered nurses, and backed by the resources of a full-service
community hospital, the Center provides
an extremely safe, secure environment
for the diagnosis and treatment of
childhood illness and injuries.
“Huntington Hospital has made a
remarkable commitment of resources
to this Center,” said Jahn Avarello, MD,
FAAP, Director of the Pediatric
Emergency Department at Huntington. “Patients are evaluated by physicians
specifically trained in the field of pediatric emergency medicine. Coupled
with pediatric nurses, our staffing
model rivals that at any other
community hospital in the State.”
The Center is a self-contained area adjacent
to the hospital’s main Emergency
Department, which is a State-designated
Level II Trauma Center staffed and
equipped to offer emergency life-saving
procedures such as treatment of airway,
circulatory, metabolic and traumatic
emergencies. This provides the staff
with easy  access to trauma facilities,
diagnostic imaging, and advanced lifesaving
equipment. The Center contains
five beds and shares four trauma bays
with the main Emergency Department.
It is well-stocked with age- and
size-appropriate equipment to meet
children’s emergency resuscitation and
medical needs.
“Basically the same equipment that you
would find in a dedicated children’s
hospital is here,” said Dr. Avarello, who
through the North Shore-LIJ Health
System also works at Schneider Children’s
Hospital and North Shore University
Hospital in Manhasset. “In fact, we are
equipped beyond the recommendations
published by the American Academy of
Pediatrics in October 2009.”
“In addition to treating relatively minor
concerns, we are able to provide care that
far exceeds what is available at an urgent
care center,” said Michael Grosso, MD,
Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs
and a practicing pediatrician. “And unlike
these facilities, we can provide follow up
in-patient care for all but the most
complex cases,” he noted. Huntington’s
Pediatric service is staffed continuously
on-site with pediatric hospitalists and
nurse practitioners who work closely with
community physicians to ensure current,
high quality and personalized care for
infants, children and adolescents.
For the majority who are going home, a
report is faxed to the primary pediatrician
to ensure continuity of care.
This should provide peace of mind to
the parents of the nearly 10,000 children
who visit the Clark Gillies Children’s
Emergency Care Center each year, seeking
treatment for problems ranging from
minor injuries, ear infections and strep
throat to acute, even life-threatening illness.
During daytime hours, the Center
functions as a typical pediatric emergency
room, ready to respond to any medical
emergency involving children from birth
through age 19. Between the hours of
5:00pm and 1:00am, extra, dedicated
staffing helps ensure that even relatively
minor problems are managed swiftly
and efficiently. //
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