February 18, 2014

A new eight-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at West Campus is now open. The unit will allow the hospital to accommodate patients with higher acuity and meet the needs of the community. The PICU will be staffed 24/7 with experience, board-certified critical care physicians, PICU nurses and support staff.

“We want to provide a higher level of care here at West Campus after seeing the needs of the community,” said Shannon McCord, director of West Campus Patient Care Services. “This allows even more patients to receive their care closer to home.”

West Campus is now able to care for patients with conditions including but not limited to:

  • Asthma
  • Diabetes
  • Meningitis
  • Respiratory failure
  • Seizures
  • Shock

And neonates (<30 days) diagnosed with:

  • ALTE
  • Bronchiolitis
  • Hyperbilirubinemia
  • Suspected sepsis

Patients in need of care that is outside of the scope of care for West Campus will still be transported to Main, but this new expansion will impact the ability of the West Campus facility to do more surgical procedures and admit more patients from the Emergency Center who before were triaged to Main Campus.

February 11, 2014

21214drmilewicz640Dr. Allen L. Milewicz has been appointed chief of community surgery at West Campus. Milewicz, whose appointment was effective January 6, will continue his role as assistant professor of surgery and pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM).

As a leader in the field of pediatric surgery for more than 20 years, Milewicz has distinguished himself in his academic, clinical and research roles. His primary research focus is on cardiac surgery, liver transplantation, and hepatobiliary disorders. Additionally, Milewicz has advanced training and extensive experience in skeletal malformations of the chest and in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

In his new role, Milewicz will be responsible for organizing Texas Children’s surgery within the community, focusing on Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus and Texas Children’s Health Centers.

“Dr. Milewicz’s leadership will be vital to the expansion of the Department of Surgery and to meeting our mission of providing surgical care to children in need,” said Dr. Charles D. Fraser Jr., surgeon-in-chief at Texas Children’s Hospital and professor of surgery and pediatrics at BCM. “He will be a tremendous asset to our renowned surgical team.”

Board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Milewicz received his undergraduate degree from City College of New York and earned his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and completed his general surgery residency program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

“Throughout my tenure at Texas Children’s, I’ve always been honored to be part of a world renowned surgical team. I’m excited to have the opportunity to take on this new leadership role,” said Milewicz. “My focus is to grow Texas Children’s community enterprise while ensuring that each patient receives the experience, expertise, and clinical outcomes for which Texas Children’s is known.”

January 30, 2014
12814WCMurals550
 
“West Campus was a blank canvas,” said Child Life Specialist Rachael Walker.
 
Imagine stark white rooms with lots of medical equipment. Not a very inviting place for young patients who are already timid and nervous. Walker said the white walls provided a great opportunity for Child Life Intervention with the help of a talented artist named Larry Crawford.
 
Places like radiology, pathology and the emergency center got a facelift as beautiful murals transformed the rooms making them inviting and familiar for kids.
 
Getting kids to step into the CT room used to be a challenge, now Walker uses the  underwater mural to invite kids in. Kids and parents are intrigued and calmed by the murals.
 
“When the CT Mural was installed  we started to see a reduction in the number of kids who were sedated for CT scans,” said Walker, “Kids started to come in more willingly to search and find Nemo. Before, Child Life Specialists might have spent a lot of time convincing them to come in but now kids step in more willingly as they gaze at the beautiful underwater scene.”
 
The art is planned with children’s interests in mind. The goal is to use the murals for distraction or guided imagery and story telling. Crawford incorporated familiar images, characters, things for counting to create a more calming atmosphere. The mural project was implemented to put kids at ease in the hospital and make the setting more child-friendly.
 
The entire project was funded by the community. Different organizations came together to raise money for West Campus and the donations were used to brighten these rooms and create this kid-friendly atmosphere.
 
“You decorate your home and office to create a certain mood. This is the same thing in a different setting,” said Walker.
 
Walker and the other child life specialists have seen the positive effects of the murals and were able to share the incredible project with those who contributed to it. Community donors were invited to the hospital for a special tour of the special rooms.
 
“The murals create a less threatening environment for our patients and families,” said Walker, “The child life department plans to continue enhancing West Campus one wall at a time.”