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