The Pediatric Emergency Department

We serve the surrounding Jackson Heights and Elmhurst communities, but also care for patients from all over Queens and beyond. Additionally, we are also the main referral center for children seen at our sister institution, Queens Hospital Center, who need an admission to the hospital or more specialized pediatric care.

Our emergency department consists of 6 private treatment rooms, a 4-bed observation/holding area and two resuscitation/trauma rooms. Given the high prevalence of asthma in our area, we also have a seven-station treatment room for patients with breathing complaints. We have 24-hour access to diagnostic imaging, laboratory and blood bank services. There is an inpatient pediatric floor and a pediatric intensive care unit for patients who need admission to the hospital as part of their management. Elmhurst also maintains a pediatric psychiatric emergency department to give specialized care to patients with mental health complaints.

We have a mix of pediatric emergency medicine specialists, general pediatricians and nurse practitioners who take primary responsibility for patient care alongside our dedicated pediatric emergency nurses. We also work collaboratively with pediatric medical and surgical specialists from Elmhurst and Mount Sinai Medical Center to achieve the highest quality care. Our staff is trained in procedural sedation, trauma life support, advanced resuscitation techniques for children and recognition and care of physical and sexual abuse. The pediatric emergency department has a range of support staff that assist in providing child- and family-centered care, including child life, social workers and chaplain services.

Elmhurst Hospital Center is an academic center and teaching hospital. Pediatric residents from Elmhurst, emergency medicine residents from Mount Sinai Medical Center and medical students from Mount Sinai and St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada take part in patient care. We also serve as one of the pediatrics training sites for FDNY paramedic students.

Elmhurst is a Level 1 Trauma Center. As such we collaborate with our trauma and adult EM colleagues on the care of all types of injured children. We are currently a site for the Safer Streets research study (funded by New York State), looking to collect data on all pedestrians or cyclists injured by motor vehicles, in order to develop interventions to minimize this epidemic.

The population in Queens is the most diverse in the United States, and the population in our emergency department is no different. We have a full range of in-person and telephone translators to maximize our communication with all patients and families. We also are firm believers in family-centered care and respect the needs of our children to have their family members present at all stages of their visit. Additionally, our department staff reflects the diversity of our patients, with a wide range of heritages represented.

We are always interested in improving. We maintain close working relationships with our Patient Relations Department, the Quality Management Department and keep up-to-date on ever-changing best practices and national standards. This allows us to consistently provide safe, efficient and high quality emergency care to all of our patients and families.