Dignity Health | hello Healthy | Summer 2019

6 DignityHealth.org/central-california | F all 2019 If your child became sick and had to stay in a hospital, you’d want your youngster to receive the best possible medical care. And it would be even better if that care was close to home. That’s one of the benefits of the new pediatric hospitalist program at Dignity Health – St. Joseph’s Medical Center. It will help more families stay together when a child is ill and requires care in a hospital. Under the program, a board-certified pediatrician is always in the hospital and ready to provide care for kids of all ages during their stay. Meeting a community need Philip Cheng, MD, FAAP, is Chief of Pediatrics at St. Joseph’s. He says the need for pediatric hospital services has expanded with the population growth in San Joaquin County. In response, St. Joseph’s hired four pediatricians to provide 24/7 care in the hospital’s dedicated pediatric unit and, when needed, in the emergency department. Most pediatricians work primarily in their offices providing routine wellness and medical care. But sometimes children have to be hospitalized. In such situations, a child could be transferred to a hospital out-of-town that has a pediatric hospitalist program. But travel puts an added (and costly) burden on families already dealing with a stressful illness. “We want to help relieve that burden,” Dr. Cheng says. By staffing the hospital with dedicated pediatricians, more children who need hospital care can be treated in Stockton without having to leave town, notes Doug O’Ryan, Director of Business Development at St. Joseph’s. Like other pediatricians, pediatric hospitalists specialize in treating children. They treat many conditions that sometimes require hospitalization, including asthma and other respiratory illnesses, infections, the flu, and dehydration. They also consult with your child’s regular doctor while your child is in the hospital. Another benefit for the community The hospitalist program also will enhance St. Joseph’s medical residency programs. It will allow doctors in training to gain pediatric hospital experience. And residency programs ultimately benefit communities since some residents may decide to stay and work locally after they finish their training. Yes , there is a pediatrician in the house St. Joseph’s launches pediatric hospitalist program “ By staffing the hospital with dedicated pediatricians, more children who need hospital care can be treated in Stockton without having to leave town. ” – Doug O’Ryan, Director of Business Development