Children ’ s . “ Within the first three years , we nearly doubled the 15,000 visits we had in our first year .”
Today , the emergency room treats more than 30,000 children per year , much more than originally expected . An expansion will accommodate an additional 8,000 to 10,000 more patients per year by adding four private treatment rooms and a triage room to the existing 15 rooms .
Two rooms will be convertible “ safe rooms ” for treating mental health patients . Dr . Lucia says , “ When patients come to us with acute mental health issues , we want to make sure they are safe before being transferred to an appropriate inpatient facility . These rooms allow us to do that .”
The waiting area will also be expanded ; a more spacious environment can help make families feel more comfortable . “ Our busiest seasons are usually fall and spring ,” says Dr . Lucia . “ More rooms will help get patients in front of our care team ’ s eyes faster . A more spacious waiting area will make everything more comfortable and less stressful .”
Physical and Occupational Therapy : Decreasing wait times Logan Parker , 10 , comes to McLane Children ’ s several times per week for treatment such as speech , physical and occupational therapy . He has a rare neurological disorder called Pelizaeus- Merzbacher that affects his mobility
EVERY MINUTE COUNTS
Cole spent about a week recovering in the PICU at McLane Children ’ s after his emergency surgery .
In 2016 , Cole McDonald , age 16 , was taking his first spin on the skateboard he ’ d gotten for Christmas . Two days later , he woke upatBaylorScott & WhiteMcLane Children ’ s Medical Center with 39 staples down one side of his head and no memory of what happened .
But Cole ’ s father remembers it all very vividly . “ It was probably the worst day of my life ,” says Doug McDonald , MD , an interventional radiologist at Scott & White Medical Center in Temple . Cole was unconscious and vomiting , with blood draining from his ears . He had a fractured skull and needed emergency surgery to remove a rapidly growing collection of blood under his skull that put a dangerous amount of pressure on his brain .
Only a 15-minute drive from Belton brought Cole to the door of the hospital where there were staff waiting for him . “ Every minute counts with that kind of injury ,” Dr . McDonald says . “ If there was any sort of delay , we probably would have lost him .”
Fortunately , McLane Children ’ s trauma specialists were able to act in time to save Cole . He spent a week in the pediatric intensive care unit , followed by several weeks of physical and occupational therapy . With the help of his care team , Cole is back to normal . He graduated from Belton High School later that year and is now in his freshman year in college in Oklahoma . “ I almost don ’ t believe that it happened to me ,” Cole says . “ I can ’ t imagine anyone recovering from something like that , but I did .”
“ I don ’ t want to be overly dramatic ,” Dr . McDonald says , “ but I don ’ t think Cole could have had better care anywhere in the country . He wouldn ’ t be here without McLane Children ’ s .”
bswhealth . com | Fall 17 THE CATALYST 27
Children’s. “Within the first three
years, we nearly doubled the 15,000
visits we had in our first year.”
Today, the emergency room treats
more than 30,000 children per year,
much more than originally expected.
An expansion will accommodate an
additional 8,000 to 10,000 more
patients per year by adding four private
treatment rooms and a triage room to
the existing 15 rooms.
Two rooms will be convertible
“safe rooms” for treating mental
health patients. Dr. Lucia says, “When
patients come to us with acute mental
health issues, we want to make sure
they are safe before being transferred
to an appropriate inpatient facility.
These rooms allow us to do that.”
The waiting area will also
be expanded; a more spacious
environment can help make families
feel more comfortable. “Our busiest
seasons are usually fall and spring,”
says Dr. Lucia. “More rooms will
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