Our Pediatric Emergency Department:
830 Washington Street, Boston
Children in emergency situations need special care. That's why we created a special Pediatric Emergency Department just for kids. Our dedicated facility is staffed by expert board certified pediatric emergency physicians and pediatric emergency nurses. They understand the special emotional and physical needs of children. In addition, we believe children shouldn't wait endless hours to see a physician, so most children coming here wait not more than 30 minutes to receive care.
Our Pediatric Emergency Department is equipped to handle diverse and numerous emergencies, including the most difficult of cases. We care for traumatically injured children in conjunction with the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute, which is certified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I Regional Pediatric Trauma Center. Children are transported by ground ambulance or by air via Boston MedFlight to the Medical Center’s Trauma Receiving Unit in the Emergency Department, where a multidisciplinary team is available to treat them. The Medical Center’s rooftop helipad provides easy access to the Emergency Department, Critical Care Units and Operating Rooms for patients transported by air.
Children with thoracic, abdominal, orthopedic and central nervous system involvement are admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Special interests of the division include transportation, resuscitation, trauma diagnoses, operative and non-operative management of multiple injuries, control of intracranial hypertension and compartment syndromes of the extremities.
Consultation with pediatric medical, surgical and other specialists from the Floating Hospital for Children is available and routinely obtained in the care of children. Once patients are stabilized and therapy is initiated, patients are evaluated for either admission or continued outpatient treatment with care coordinated by their primary care physician or a physician at the Medical Center if necessary. Every effort is made to involve the primary care provider in the treatment plan of the patient, and the Pediatric ED makes sure the referring physician receives information about the child's visit.
Children experiencing trauma or illness are often frightened and confused. Our child life specialists are there to help the whole family through the process and often use play and relaxation techniques to help the pediatric patient.
For information about all our emergency services, see Emergency Services at Tufts Medical Center.
Important phone numbers:
Emergency Department Main Number: 617-636-5566
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: 617-636-5007