It can be a scary situation when your child is seriously ill or injured. One concern that Central Pennsylvania families do not have is the need to travel for the best medical care. The 12-year running U.S. News & World Report has ranked Penn State Health Children’s Hospital as one of the nation’s best for children in several specialties. Penn State Health Milton S.A. at Children’s Hospital, Hershey, Pa. Hershey Medical Center campus.
In the magazine’s 2022-2023 Best Children’s Hospital ranking, which highlights the top 50 hospitals in pediatric specialties, the hospital is ranked in cardiology and heart surgery, pulmonology and lung surgery, and diabetes and endocrinology.
“Penn State Health Children’s Hospital is the only children’s hospital between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia that is fully equipped to treat the most critically ill children,” said Deborah Berini, president of Hershey Medical Center. “Our specialist physicians and specially trained nurses provide comprehensive support and specialized care for infants, children and adolescents.”
The ability to receive the full spectrum of high-quality care near home makes a difference for families with critically ill children. This was especially important for 14-month-old Bristol, who experienced a cardiac arrest at her midwife’s home and was taken to Children’s Hospital by Life Lion. With the help of a pediatric cardiac team that has some of the best surgical outcomes in the country, she underwent life-saving surgery right here in Central Pennsylvania and spent five weeks in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, followed by a week in an inpatient pediatric rehabilitation program. Spent. Today her heart works normally, and she is a happy, healthy five-year-old.
For more than 50 years, Children’s Hospital has efficiently cared for children like Bristol. In 2020, the hospital increased access to care by completing a three-floor vertical expansion, which included more pediatric beds, state-of-the-art technology, a women’s and baby center, a 56-bed Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and The state’s only Small Baby Unit, specially created for the development of premature babies and better brain development. This confirmed Penn State Health Children’s Hospital as the area’s pediatric health care leader, providing the best care for every child. Right here, near home.
Lancaster County residents will have greater access to the children’s hospital’s top pediatricians with the opening of Penn State Health Children’s Lancaster Pediatric Center. The new outpatient center will provide comprehensive, high-end pediatric care for children, adolescents and their families in a completely designed and dedicated environment.
