“Children do better in a
child-focused environment
where all the resources are
designed specifically for
them and devoted to them.”
—Robert Pryor, MD
Abigail Coffman, age 16 months.
be the right match for us,” says Dr. Boyd.
After the entrance to the new Children’s
Hospital at Scott & White is brightened
up, no stone will be left unturned in
helping young patients and their families
to feel comfortable, an especially important
factor during a child’s illness. “Our goal is
that when you step through the doors, you
feel very welcome and you can tell clearly
that you are in a children’s facility,” says
Dr. Boyd.
“There’s probably not one area of the
hospital that is not going to be touched,”
he says. “We’re building a brand-new, 14bed pediatric emergency department in the
back of the building. It will be markedly
different from the area now, which is a
cramped quarters of six beds.”
An expanded imaging department will
include a state-of-the-art computerized
tomography (CT) scanner that emits the
lowest effective level of radiation—to reduce
the risk to children—and offers faster
scanning times. It should also decrease the
amount of sedation required for children.
The CT scanner costs about $1.9 million
and is in need of funding. “We often are in
need of programs or newer equipment,
different staffing models and other things
that are a challenge for our operations
budget to support,” says Dr. Boyd. “Because
of that, we need our donors.”
Technologically advanced operating
rooms, a pediatric intensive care unit, and
private inpatient rooms will be created as
well. Also, a resource room for parents and
siblings will be a place where families can
find information on children’s illnesses,
and a medical librarian will be hired to staff
it. Administrators also hope to offer a
Ronald McDonald Room to be operated
by the Ronald McDonald House Charities
of Temple. This would be a parents-only
area with a coffee bar, a TV lounge, and
laundry facilities. “The Ronald Room is
really a place for the parents to get their
batteries recharged,” Dr. Boyd says.
“Next year, we will have a premier
children’s hospital. It will offer additional
pediatric healthcare excellence, with
physicians and resources to care for the
children and families of Central Texas,
which they well deserve,” Dr. Boyd says. ★
Dr. Beeram also is a professor of pediatrics,
the Texas A&M Health Science Center College
of Medicine.
Dr. Knight also is a professor of obstetrics and
gynecology, the Texas A&M Health Science
Center College of Medicine.
Dr. Pryor also is an assistant professor of
pediatrics, the Texas A&M Health Science
Center College of Medicine.
sw.org | Fall 10 THE CATALYST
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