The Pediatric Emergency room at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Paterson provides children with the specialized care they need in a warm, friendly, (and colorful!) environment. The Pediatric ER facility has a separate entrance and waiting room with dedicated registration and triage areas. The on-call specialists are dually trained in General Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine; the registered nurses and other staff have specialized pediatric training and experience to recognize and treat conditions unique to children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Additionally, upon discharge from the Emergency Room, a discharge summary is sent to the treating Pediatrician to ensure continuity of care.

With five locations in New Jersey, PM Pediatrics treats children and young adults exclusively, with physicians, nurses, equipment and an office environment tailored to provide the best possible care for young patients. All locations—which are decorated with a unique, colorful theme—are staffed by Pediatric Emergency Specialists. It’s a walk-in practice and patients are seen on a first-come first-serve basis, but occasionally a sicker patient or unforeseen emergency may take precedence over the order of arrival. Each practice features x-ray and lab onsite, and has access to specialists such as plastic surgeons or orthopedists, as needed. “We also take special care to send each patient’s medical record to their primary care provider the day of their visit, ensuring timely follow-up and continuity of care with their pediatrician,” says Dr. Michael Bachman, Regional Medical Director of New Jersey for PM Pediatrics.

Kinder Pediatric Urgent Care of Woodbridge always has a board certified ER trained pediatrician alongside a Registered Pediatric Nurse with a medical assistant, x-ray technician and medical receptionist to support the patient. Kinder Pediatric Urgent Care's hours of operation have been established to support the area's pediatricians by opening when the pediatrician's office is closing. (Hence, the hours are Monday through Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11: 00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) After the pediatric patient (newborn to 21 years) has been treated and permission granted, Kinder Pediatric Urgent Care forwards the departure sheet to the pediatrician's office to inform them that their patient has been treated and may require follow up. All equipment, exam rooms, and waiting area have been purchased and designed with the young patient in mind. At some point during the patient's visit stickers, balloons, and ice-pops may be handed out.

Note to parents: Though Kinder Pediatric Urgent Care has a pediatric crash cart with life-saving medicine and equipment, if your child has lost consciousness, stopped breathing or experienced a trauma go directly to the ER. Kinder Pediatric Urgent Care typically treats fever, sore throat, sniffles, stomach aches, flu, strep, rashes, bites, skin conditions, and so forth.

The Virtua Memorial Pediatric Pavilion (Mount Holly) provides both pediatric emergency and inpatient services in one combined unit. The Pavilion is conveniently located inside Virtua Memorial Hospital, the only pediatric provider in Burlington County. Through Virtua’s partnership with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), your child will have access to the most advanced pediatric care along with a network of expert physicians. CHOP at Virtua provides low-dose and sedated imaging for kids, diagnosis and treatment of pediatric sleep disorders, and interpretation of diagnostic tests by CHOP cardiologists, neurologists and radiologists. Virtua pediatric emergency services are ready for kids ’round the clock with emergency services specially designed for children.

Gagnon Children's Emergency Department (at Goryeb Children’s Hospital at Morristown Medical Center) as well as the Michael Gordon Reeves Pediatric Emergency Department at Goryeb Children’s Center at Overlook Medical Center provide 24-hour access to expert pediatric care. They treat more than 33,500 children each year for everything from minor emergencies, such as fever, ear infections, minor cuts and sprains, to life-threatening injuries and illnesses. The experienced staff takes a patient- and family-centered care approach to medical emergencies, which means fostering an open line of communication with patients and their families and including them as partners in the care process. The exam rooms are colorfully decorated and equipped with TVs and DVD players, and there are child life specialists on-site to help ease the fears of young patients and their parents.

photos: courtesy St. Joseph's Children's Hospital

Note: This is a reference list for parents/guardians. In case of a pediatric emergency, call 911 immediately if you cannot reach a hospital or emergency clinic in a very timely manner.