Pediatric Emergency Department

The Dorothy B. Hersh Pediatric Emergency Department is a 5,200-square-foot state-of-the-art facility that serves the hospital's youngest patients from newborns up to age 18. Saint Peter's provides pediatric emergency care to 22,000 infants, children and young adults annually. Approximately 1,800 of those children are admitted as inpatients for additional care, which necessitates the need for the ED’s fast track area, where patients with non-critical needs are seen by a doctor and treated and released within 90 minutes. By streamlining the care of those patients who are not dealing with a life-threatening condition, the pediatric emergency department staff can better accommodate those children who are gravely ill or injured.
Saint Peter’s pediatric ED includes specially trained pediatric emergency physicians and nurses, including a pediatric triage nurse, on duty 24 hours a day; child-friendly equipment, such as small blood pressure cuffs and fine needles; private rooms; pediatric specialists such as pediatric orthopedic surgeons; and a full-time Child Life specialist.

Specialized Services
Among the special services available in the ED is a dedicated Child Life specialist who attends to the emotional needs of a child and family members during a visit. The Child Life specialist helps the child and family cope with illness, treatments and procedures by using therapeutic play, and offering coping techniques. If a child is admitted from the ED to the hospital, the Child Life specialist works with inpatient staff to smooth the transition.

Award-winning Care
The Dorothy B. Hersh Pediatric Emergency Department has earned the prestigious Lantern Award from the national Emergency Nurses Association and a Best Hospitals for Pediatric Emergency Care award from the Women’s Choice Award^®, America’s trusted referral source for the best in health care. The Lantern Award is a visible symbol of an emergency department’s commitment to quality, safety, a healthy work environment, and innovation in nursing practice and emergency care. The Best Pediatric Emergency Care designation is earned by hospitals with a dedicated pediatric emergency department, a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and a high rating for its emergency department staffing.

In addition to an award-winning pediatric emergency department, Saint Peter’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit earned a Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.


 

Contact
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or get to a hospital immediately.

To contact the Dorothy B. Hersh Pediatric Emergency Department, call 732.937.6009.