Pediatric Emergency Medicine

A unique emergency department dedicated to children

Ballad Health is dedicated to our pediatric patients throughout East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, and have a family-friendly waiting room, with safe play areas and toys.

The state-of-the-art emergency facility at Niswonger Children’s Hospital has the right equipment to quickly and effectively treat children in our eight patient rooms and four transitional rooms.

The Children’s Emergency team

Our physicians are board-certified in pediatrics, and our nurses are experienced in treating children of all ages.

And in the event a child requires advanced care, the Children’s Emergency medical staff has access to the pediatric specialists from Niswonger Children’s, as well as the full range of services available at Johnson City Medical Center.

Children who need inpatient care don’t need to be transferred to another facility. They are admitted to Niswonger Children’s, on the same campus as Johnson City Medical Center.

Why is an ER dedicated to children important?

Children needing urgent and emergency care have unique needs, often requiring medical professionals who specialize in the care of children, as well as equipment designed for young people of all sizes, from babies to young adults.

Your Children’s Emergency medical staff has the necessary skills, knowledge and training to provide care for children in urgent and emergency situations. As mentioned above, our emergency doctors and emergency nurses are all pediatric specialists.

Having an ER visit kit on hand

Emergency rooms are often busy places, so it is a good idea to prepare a “visit kit” to keep it by the door or in the car.

A visit kit should contain a comfort item, as well as items that will provide distraction and occupy your child while you might be waiting.

Suggested visit kit items include:

• Favorite stuffed animal or blanket
• Story, picture, seek-and-find books
• Books about doctor or hospital visits
• Coloring books and crayons
• Bubbles, glitter wand, kaleidoscope
• Handheld or travel games

Talking with your child after an ER visit

When children visit an emergency department, the experience can be overwhelming.

Many times, children have questions and misconceptions about what happened.

ER visits tend to be unexpected, so you may have to help your child (and his or her siblings) understand what happened afterwards.

Being HONEST with your child

It can be helpful to keep in mind the HONEST approach:

H – HELP children understand
O – OFFER physical closeness
N – NEVER blame
E – ENCOURAGE conversation
S – SHARE their feelings
T – TELL the truth

Pediatric ER virtual health

Now your family can have virtual access to Niswonger Children’s without having to travel there.

Using virtual technology, the pediatric emergency physicians at Niswonger Children’s can now be a part of the care team at your local hospital at a moment’s notice. You and your child can communicate in real time with physicians at both the children’s hospital and the local ER.

Together, the care team will assess your child’s needs and expedite immediate transport to Niswonger Children’s if necessary.

Ballad Health Virtual Health is quick, convenient and affordable, bringing better health to virtually everyone.

Where you can find Emergency Virtual Health services

Tennessee

• Indian Path Community Hospital
• Johnson County Community Hospital
• Sycamore Shoals Hospital
• Unicoi County Memorial Hospital

Virginia

• Dickenson Community Hospital
• Norton Community Hospital