St. Mary’s ER continues to treat pediatric patients

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - For more than 100 years St. Mary’s has provided medical care to Northern Nevada.

It might have been a surprise to many when last week, the hospital announced it would no longer provide maternal/child services.

That message it appears has caused some confusion says the hospital’s emergency room medical director.

“I think it is important to have this conversation and to clarify for the community,” says Dr. Jenny Wilson, St. Mary’s Emergency Room Medical Director. “Because St. Mary’s our emergency department is open, ready, willing, and able staffed with residency trained board certified emergency physicians who have been taking care of children our entire careers,” says Dr. Wilson.

Dr. Wilson says residents may have focused too much on the “child” of the maternal-child services announcement.

The hospital will not admit a child for overnight or longer care at their facility. But a pediatric patient coming into the emergency room will be seen.

And according to Dr. Wilson in a vast majority of cases, they will be assessed treated and sent back home to recover.

“We are able to take care of every single kind of child,” says Dr. Wilson. “With every single kind of condition. And for a vast majority of children who present, who come to an emergency room for care. 95% of them will not need to stay overnight in a pediatric ward and will not need to stay overnight or longer in a pediatric intensive care unit,” she says.

That goes for most children diagnosed with RSV.

If the child does need advanced medical care not provided by St. Mary’s, Dr. Wilson says the child will be stabilized and transferred to Renown who provides such services.

Clearing up the confusion Dr. Wilson says let’s families know; they have options locally when seeking emergency medical care for their child.

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