Dayton Children’s unveils new emergency department

Dayton Children’s Hospital on Wednesday unveiled a new 16-room pediatric emergency department on its south campus in Springboro as part an ongoing expansion of the 11-acre campus near Austin Landing that will cost an estimated $62 million, up from a previous estimate of $47.5 million.

The freestanding emergency department, which will be open around the clock, features a trauma room for children who are seriously hurt or ill, and offers customized emergency care for children who have special clinical needs and “are not just little adults,” said Dr. Thomas Krzmarzick, medical director of the emergency department, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“The increasing needs of the community have resulted in growing emergency volumes, treating children for everything from a fever to life-threatening injuries,” said Krzmarzick. “With the largest population of children her in the southern suburbs, and the continued growth, we know that moms and dads expect us to be here to take care of our kids.”

Holly Allen, a Springboro mother and spokeswoman for the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, applauded the new facility as a much-needed resource for mothers living in the area.

“My girls are still little, and I have already been to the (Dayton Children’s) urgent care a few times,” Allen said. “It’s comforting to know that an emergency department just for kids is now available so close, too.”

The emergency department also has a mobile intensive care unit that can transfer children to the hospital’s main campus in Dayton, which has the area’s only American College of Surgeons certified pediatric trauma center, officials said.

“We are listening to our patient families who consistently tell us they want more services closer to home,” said Deborah Feldman, Dayton Children’s president and CEO. “Expanding our Springboro campus, and providing a 24/7 emergency department provides the world-class pediatric care for children that they deserve.”

The emergency department is the second new facility to open on the Springboro campus, which opened a specialty care center in September and plans to open an outpatient surgery center with four operating rooms in late summer.

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