The Children's Hospital at Saint Peter's University Hospital

Advanced Pediatric Specialty Care

Tiny Patients, Huge Reputation

Babies born premature or with troubling medical conditions are cared for around-the-clock by a staff of neonatologists, pediatric specialists, neonatal nurses, neonatal nurse practitioners, neonatal respiratory therapists, and pharmacists. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital is one of the most experienced and one of the largest specialized facilities of its kind on the East Coast with 54 intensive and special care bassinets. This Level IV NICU welcomed more than 900 fragile  newborns in 2022. Babies are taken directly from Saint Peter’s labor and delivery rooms in specially designed transporters and then transferred to a warm isolette, a bassinet expressly used for premature or special needs babies from 22 up to 44 weeks, if a longer stay is needed. Some newborns in need of specialized care are even transferred to Saint Peter’s NICU from other hospitals.

From Infant to Child in the Blink of an Eye

From the time a child is born, The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s can provide the healthcare services needed for the journey from infancy to adulthood. This continuity of care can have a positive impact on an individual’s health and well being—and the peace of mind of a parent. The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s is designated by the state of New Jersey as an acute care children’s hospital, one of the most advanced hospitals of its kind in the nation. Our team of pediatric specialists and nurses, working in collaboration with your child’s pediatrician, is dedicated to taking very special care of your little one every step of the way.

Kid-friendly Emergency Department

Caring for your child during a medical emergency is one of life’s most stressful challenges. Split‑second decisions about your child’s medical treatment must be made with a sense of urgency. One decision, however, can eliminate worry and any waste of time: bringing your sick or injured child to the Dorothy B. Hersh Pediatric Emergency Department at The Children's Hospital at Saint Peter's University Hospital.

A visit to an emergency room can be frightening for anyone—especially your child—and we have taken great care to design a child‑friendly environment to help kids feel more at ease and make families a little more comfortable during their time with us. A few child‑friendly highlights include small blood pressure cuffs and fine needles, private rooms, and televisions, toys, and video games. Most importantly, staff members are experts at interacting with children and can help to minimize stress for both parent and child.

The Dorothy B. Hersh Pediatric Emergency Department at The Children's Hospital at Saint Peter's is the only pediatric emergency department in New Jersey to earn the prestigious Lantern Award for 2022-2025 from the national Emergency Nurses Association (ENA). The Lantern Award demonstrates an emergency department’s accomplishments in incorporating evidence-based practice and innovation into emergency care.

Pint‑sized Precision

Minimally invasive surgery is offered by our pediatric surgeons for your newborn, child, or adolescent. Our surgeons keep current on the most advanced and proven minimally invasive surgical techniques and technologies available. Advanced surgical equipment and tiny video cameras are used— some of which are specially developed and sized for newborns and children. Less traumatic than traditional surgery, minimally invasive procedures use special instruments, allow for minor incisions, quicker recovery, and fewer side effects—all of which are so important to our smallest of patients and their parents.

Saint Peter's offers the following pediatric surgery services:

• Complex Congenital and Neonatal Surgery
• Minimally Invasive and Open Thoracic Surgery
• Pediatric Oncologic Surgery
• Minimally Invasive Gastrointestinal surgery
• Endocrine Surgery for disease of the thyroid and adrenal glands
• Craniofacial-neurosurgery
• Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) (including skull-based tumors)
• Neurological
• Ophthalmological
• Orthopedic (including the innovative anterior scoliosis correction surgery)
• Plastic
• Urologic

Parents can be comforted by knowing that a pediatric anesthesiologist is in the operating room. Pediatric anesthesiologists receive an extra year of training to learn the special techniques needed to care for younger and smaller patients. The Pediatric Anesthesiology Program at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s has the largest number of board certified and fellowship trained pediatric anesthesiologists in central New Jersey  and is one of the few hospitals to offer 24/7 coverage of this kind.

Overcoming Childhood Challenges

The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s offers a vast array of programs and services to address the challenges of childhood including a sleep lab, and speech and hearing programs, as well as specialized centers of care for autism and epilepsy. The Division of Adolescent Medicine focuses on puberty, obesity, acne, and other issues affecting those ages 10 to 21. The Division of Pediatric Endocrinology provides care related to diabetes, congenital hypothyroidism, and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The Center for Diabetes Self‑Management educates children and families on the importance of parent‑supervised self‑care. Specialists at The Epilepsy Center at The Pediatric Neuroscience Institute diagnose and treat epilepsy using video EEG monitoring. The Craniofacial and Neurosurgical Center comprehensively treats and manages craniofacial abnormalities, such as cleft lip and cleft palate. The staff of Saint Peter’s Physical Rehabilitation Services offer an approach to treatment that recognizes the unique relationship between orthopedic surgery and physical therapy. They are also offer treatment for children with developmental delays.  

Serious Illness, Stellar Care

It’s reassuring to know that pediatric specialists at Saint Peter’s Children’s Hospital are available to treat your child in conjunction with his or her pediatrician or primary care physician.

The Institute for Genetic Medicine at Saint Peter’s provides treatment and support for families coping with rare inherited conditions. At the CHOP Cardiac Center at Saint Peter’s Children’s Hospital, in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, all forms of heart disease are treated including heart murmurs, congestive heart failure, rheumatic fever, Kawasaki disease and arrhythmias. For infants, children and adolescents with cancer and disorders of the blood, our Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program can enroll children into cutting-edge national clinical trials. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) provides complex pediatric intensive care services, innovative therapies for respiratory issues, and plays an active role in the management of children undergoing serious and complex surgical procedures. And our highly specialized pediatric critical care team provides special transport, at a moment’s notice, from around the state.

The Child Life Program helps children, adolescents and their families prepare for a hospital stay and also provides support services such as music therapy to help ease the anxiety of a hospital stay. The Child Life specialists are happy to answer any questions or concerns about the tests and procedures your child will undergo during their stay at Saint Peter’s.