Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Encyclopedia
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, a not-for-profit healthcare organization, was formed in 1998 when Egleston Children’s Health Care System and Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Center merged. Both hospitals maintained their original locations, but the merger brought together Egleston’s teaching and research strengths with Scottish Rite’s successful private-practice model. In February 2006 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta assumed responsibility for the management of services at Hughes Spalding Children’s Hospital, located in downtown Atlanta at Grady Memorial Hospital
.
Children’s, a pediatric-accredited hospital, offers family-centered care while providing specialized medical procedures and supplies, age appropriate
play therapy, psychosocial support and a hospital-based school program. A continuing medical education program helps community healthcare providers stay abreast of advances in clinical care. With more than half a million annual patient visits in 2008, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is one of the country’s leading pediatric healthcare providers.
In 1915 the Scottish Rite
Convalescent Home for Crippled Children opened as an 18-bed facility in two small wood-frame cottages in Decatur, GA.The home provided indigent children a place to recover from surgery
performed at other hospitals. By 1919 it had grown to a 50-bed facility and changed its name to Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children. In the 1970s the hospital moved to North Atlanta.
In 1928 Henrietta Egleston Hospital for Children opened in downtown Atlanta with the financial support of Thomas R. Egleston Jr. In the first year the 52-bed facility was open, 605 children were treated. In the 1950s Egleston became the pediatric teaching affiliate for the Emory University School of Medicine
and relocated to the university’s campus.
In 1952, the Hughes Spalding Pavilion officially opened as a private hospital for
black/African-American patients. After numerous transformations, the Hughes Spalding
Pavilion shut its doors in 1989. The facilities reopened in 1992 as Hughes
Spalding Children’s Hospital—an 82-bed, freestanding facility dedicated to
serving Atlanta’s inner-city pediatric population.
The hospitals provide patient families with:
, Cardiac, Emergency department
, Neonatal intensive care unit
, orthopaedics, and Pulmonology
. A call center offers a 24-hour nurse advice line, physician referrals and an audio health library.
Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children’s is a national leader among childhood cancer, hematology
, and blood and marrow transplant programs, serving infants to young adults. Recognized as one of the top cancer centers in the country by U.S. News & World Report
, the Aflac Cancer Center treats more than 350 new cancer patients each year and follows more than 2,500 patients with sickle cell disease, hemophilia and other blood disorders.
from infancy through young adulthood, as well as prenatal diagnostics.
, brain and spinal cord tumors and spine care. In 2008, the Children’s Neurosciences program was number one in the country for neurosurgery and inpatient neurology volumes.
and Prosthetics, Scoliosis
Screening, Limb Deficiency, Sports Medicine
, Fracture Care, Spine Surgery, Brachial Plexus
treatment and a Hand and Upper Extremity service. Orthopaedic surgeons at Children’s care for thousands of patients who require specialized medical and surgical treatment for a variety of musculoskeletal diseases, complicated congenital anomalies, and deformities and injuries throughout Georgia, the Southeast and internationally.
, Emory Winship Cancer Institute, the Morehouse School of Medicine
, the Georgia Institute of Technology
, and private-practice physicians. Children's researchers are engaged in more than 600 active studies, including 65 multisite clinical trials, in the community to improve the delivery of pediatric care in 30 specialty areas, with an emphasis on hematology/oncology, blood and marrow transplant and cardiology
.
provider in Georgia
. In 2008, Children’s provided $103 million in unreimbursed care and treated eight out of 10 pediatric inpatient Medicaid cases in metro Atlanta. Additionally, Children’s serves as a statewide training resource for the prevention of illness, injury and obesity
in children. The Children’s Child Protection Center trains law enforcement personnel on child abuse
detection and prevention.
Grady Memorial Hospital
Grady Memorial Hospital, frequently referred to as Grady Hospital or simply Grady, is the largest hospital in the state of Georgia and the public hospital for the city of Atlanta. It is the 5th largest public hospital in the United States, as well as one the busiest Level I trauma centers in the...
.
Children’s, a pediatric-accredited hospital, offers family-centered care while providing specialized medical procedures and supplies, age appropriate
Age appropriate
Age appropriate refers to a developmental concept whereby certain activities may be deemed appropriate or inappropriate to a child's "stage" or level of development....
play therapy, psychosocial support and a hospital-based school program. A continuing medical education program helps community healthcare providers stay abreast of advances in clinical care. With more than half a million annual patient visits in 2008, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is one of the country’s leading pediatric healthcare providers.
History
While each of the hospitals operated by Children's has a different beginning, all three were founded by people with a deep commitment to the growth and prosperity of the citizens of Atlanta.Children's at Scottish Rite
33.907799°N 84.354805°WIn 1915 the Scottish Rite
Scottish Rite
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry , commonly known as simply the Scottish Rite, is one of several Rites of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry...
Convalescent Home for Crippled Children opened as an 18-bed facility in two small wood-frame cottages in Decatur, GA.The home provided indigent children a place to recover from surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
performed at other hospitals. By 1919 it had grown to a 50-bed facility and changed its name to Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children. In the 1970s the hospital moved to North Atlanta.
Children's at Egleston
33.7941°N 84.3203°WIn 1928 Henrietta Egleston Hospital for Children opened in downtown Atlanta with the financial support of Thomas R. Egleston Jr. In the first year the 52-bed facility was open, 605 children were treated. In the 1950s Egleston became the pediatric teaching affiliate for the Emory University School of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine, a component of Emory’s Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, is ranked among the nation’s institutions for biomedical education and research...
and relocated to the university’s campus.
Children's at Hughes Spalding
33.7536°N 84.3821°WIn 1952, the Hughes Spalding Pavilion officially opened as a private hospital for
black/African-American patients. After numerous transformations, the Hughes Spalding
Pavilion shut its doors in 1989. The facilities reopened in 1992 as Hughes
Spalding Children’s Hospital—an 82-bed, freestanding facility dedicated to
serving Atlanta’s inner-city pediatric population.
Services
- 24-hour family visitation throughout the hospital, including the Intensive Care UnitIntensive Care Unitthumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
s - In-hospital playrooms so children can enjoy time with siblings and other children
- In-room sleeping sofas so a parent can always be close by
- Local accommodations through the Mason House and Ronald McDonald houses for extended stays
Multidisciplinary Services
Children’s has been nationally recognized in several pediatric specialties including CancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, Cardiac, Emergency department
Emergency department
An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
, Neonatal intensive care unit
Neonatal intensive care unit
A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit —also called a Special Care Nursery, newborn intensive care unit, intensive care nursery , and special care baby unit —is an intensive care unit specializing in the care of ill or premature newborn infants.The problem of premature and congenitally ill infants is not a...
, orthopaedics, and Pulmonology
Pulmonology
In medicine, pulmonology is the specialty that deals with diseases of the respiratory tract and respiratory disease. It is called chest medicine and respiratory medicine in some countries and areas...
. A call center offers a 24-hour nurse advice line, physician referrals and an audio health library.
Breakthroughs
- Transplants performed on the youngest (10 days old) and three smallest (2 to 4 pounds) liver transplant recipients worldwide.
- One of the first centers in the country to perform sentinel lymph node mapping on children to determine if cancerCancerCancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
has spread past the point of origin, helping some patients avoid further surgery. - One of the few centers in the country evaluating a new procedure called capsule endoscopyCapsule endoscopyCapsule endoscopy is a way to record images of the digestive tract for use in medicine. The capsule is the size and shape of a pill and contains a tiny camera. After a patient swallows the capsule, it takes pictures of the inside of the gastrointestinal tract...
, where a disposable capsule containing a miniature camera is used to detect and diagnose gastrointestinal disorders in children. - Among the first in the country to use a biventricular assist device (Bi-VAD) to keep pediatric heart failure patients alive while waiting for a transplant
- Among the first to use a GliaSite catheter to treat aggressive childhood brain tumors
- Developed the first dissolvable midface expander for children with craniofacial abnormalities
- Among a few pediatric hospitals in the country to perform 400 kidney transplants—since 1999 the Kidney Transplant team has had a 100 percent, one-year actuarial survival rate
- Designed a computerized tracking and documentation system for children treated in their emergency departmentEmergency departmentAn emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
that is now used by hospitals around the country - One of a few centers in the United States to perform three pediatric heart transplants in 24 hours and multiple ABO-incompatible heart transplants}
Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service
The AflacAflac
Aflac Incorporated is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, founded in 1955 and based in Columbus, Georgia. In the United States, Aflac underwrites a wide range of insurance policies, but is perhaps more known for its payroll deduction insurance coverage, which pays...
Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children’s is a national leader among childhood cancer, hematology
Hematology
Hematology, also spelled haematology , is the branch of biology physiology, internal medicine, pathology, clinical laboratory work, and pediatrics that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases...
, and blood and marrow transplant programs, serving infants to young adults. Recognized as one of the top cancer centers in the country by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
, the Aflac Cancer Center treats more than 350 new cancer patients each year and follows more than 2,500 patients with sickle cell disease, hemophilia and other blood disorders.
The Children’s Sibley Heart Center
Treating more than 30,000 children every year, the Children’s Sibley Heart Center has garnered widespread national recognition for our innovative treatments, leading-edge research and compassionate care. Ranked as one of the country's top five pediatric cardiac programs by Parents magazine, the Children's Sibley Heart Center provides comprehensive cardiac services for congenital and acquired heart diseaseHeart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
from infancy through young adulthood, as well as prenatal diagnostics.
The Children's Neurosciences Program
The Children’s Neurosciences program features a team of pediatric neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, neuroradiologists, neurointensivists and neuropsychologists. Each pediatric professional specializes in a particular discipline, such as head trauma, epilepsyEpilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
, brain and spinal cord tumors and spine care. In 2008, the Children’s Neurosciences program was number one in the country for neurosurgery and inpatient neurology volumes.
Orthopaedics at Children's
Orthopaedics services at Children's, ranked among the top five pediatric programs in the nation by Parents magazine and U.S.News & World Report, includes Orthopaedic Surgery, Pediatric and Adolescent Orthopaedic Hip service, OrthoticsOrthotics
Orthotics is a specialty within the medical field concerned with the design, manufacture and application of orthoses. An orthosis is an orthopedic device that supports or corrects the function of a limb or the torso...
and Prosthetics, Scoliosis
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side. Although it is a complex three-dimensional deformity, on an X-ray, viewed from the rear, the spine of an individual with scoliosis may look more like an "S" or a "C" than a straight line...
Screening, Limb Deficiency, Sports Medicine
Sports medicine
Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness, treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise...
, Fracture Care, Spine Surgery, Brachial Plexus
Brachial plexus
The brachial plexus is a network of nerve fibers, running from the spine, formed by the ventral rami of the lower four cervical and first thoracic nerve roots...
treatment and a Hand and Upper Extremity service. Orthopaedic surgeons at Children’s care for thousands of patients who require specialized medical and surgical treatment for a variety of musculoskeletal diseases, complicated congenital anomalies, and deformities and injuries throughout Georgia, the Southeast and internationally.
Community collaboration
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta collaborates with leaders in the medical community, including the Emory University School of MedicineEmory University School of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine, a component of Emory’s Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, is ranked among the nation’s institutions for biomedical education and research...
, Emory Winship Cancer Institute, the Morehouse School of Medicine
Morehouse School of Medicine
Morehouse School of Medicine is a medical school in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.-Establishment:Founded originally as a part of Morehouse College in 1975 during the tenure of college president Hugh M. Gloster, with Louis W. Sullivan, M.D. as dean, The School of Medicine at Morehouse College began as a two...
, the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, and private-practice physicians. Children's researchers are engaged in more than 600 active studies, including 65 multisite clinical trials, in the community to improve the delivery of pediatric care in 30 specialty areas, with an emphasis on hematology/oncology, blood and marrow transplant and cardiology
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
.
Charity care
Children’s is the largest MedicaidMedicaid
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
provider in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. In 2008, Children’s provided $103 million in unreimbursed care and treated eight out of 10 pediatric inpatient Medicaid cases in metro Atlanta. Additionally, Children’s serves as a statewide training resource for the prevention of illness, injury and obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
in children. The Children’s Child Protection Center trains law enforcement personnel on child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
detection and prevention.
Awards and recognition
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has been recognized for its outstanding staff and for its visionary physicians in pediatric medicine. Atlanta Business Chronicle ranked it the number one healthcare organization on its list of Atlanta’s A+ Employers. In 2008 Fortune magazine ranked Children’s as number 45 in “100 Best Companies to Work For.” Children’s also was recognized as one of America’s best children’s hospitals by U.S.News & World Report. In 2008 Parents magazine ranked Children’s among the top 10 pediatric hospitals in the country.See also
- PediatricsPediatricsPediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
- Healthcare in the United States
- Henrietta Egleston Hospital for ChildrenHenrietta Egleston Hospital for ChildrenIn 1928, Henrietta Egleston Hospital for Children opened in the Old Fourth Ward east of downtown Atlanta at 640 Forrest Road . It opened with the financial support of Thomas R. Egleston Jr...
- Old Scottish Rite HospitalOld Scottish Rite HospitalFounded as the Scottish Rite Convalescent Home for Crippled Children, the Old Scottish Rite Hospital served indigent children, either crippled, or recovering from surgery at Piedmont Hospital or Wesley Memorial Hospital . Michael Hoke, M.D., was named the first Medical Director...
- Hughes Spalding Children's HospitalHughes Spalding Children's HospitalIn 1952, the Hughes Spalding Pavilion officially opened as a private hospital for black and African-American patients. After numerous transformations, the Hughes Spalding Pavilion shut its doors in 1989...