Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center has the essential resources in place to meet the emergency needs of seriously ill and injured children.

Our emergency department has been certified as an Emergency Department Approved for Pediatrics (EDAP) by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. In order to meet these rigorous pediatric emergency care standards, our emergency department features:

• Board-certified emergency department physicians
• Nurses and technicians specially trained in pediatric emergency care
• Staffing provision for pediatric consultation to support pediatric emergency care services
• Availability of essential pediatric equipment, supplies and medications
• Implementation of protocols for the treatment of the abused child, critically injured children and those children requiring transfer to a specialized care center
• Incorporation of pediatrics into quality improvement and educational activities

We staff board-certified pediatricians as hospitalists within our pediatric unit. They work in partnership with emergency physicians, referring pediatricians, surgeons and sub-specialists during a child’s hospitalization.

Available 24 hours a day, these pediatric hospitalists oversee all inpatient care including:

• Admission
• Physical exams
• Initial orders
• Tests
• Daily evaluations
• Coordination of procedures
• Stabilization and transport of critically ill patients
• Outpatient specialty appointments

Caring for uninsured kids is a huge challenge in the South Bay area. Many kids have to soldier through common, but painful illnesses such as ear infections and strep throat without medical care. Many have never had a regular check up or been immunized against polio, mumps, tetanus or whooping cough. And some children suffer with serious, life-threatening conditions that could - if treated - be managed.

We created the Partners for Healthy Kids program. A mobile pediatric clinic visits schools in Lawndale, Gardena, Wilmington and San Pedro every week. The kids get the medical care they need right where they are.

Run by a bilingual staff, Partners for Healthy Kids also provides wellness education and referrals to dental and specialty care when needed.

Patient story

Samuel was 6 years old when he visited the Partners for Healthy Kids van at his school. He said his throat and ears had been hurting a lot and that he probably had a cold. Could we give him something to make him feel better?

Our nurse practitioner examined Samuel's throat and ears and saw nothing unusual. But when she felt his neck, she noticed a lump that wasn't supposed to be there. It needed immediate attention.

Samuel's mom was frightened. She didn't have a way to get her little boy to a specialist. She spoke only Spanish and had no understanding of the healthcare system. But the nurse practitioner knew that if Samuel had cancer - and wasn't seen and treated immediately - it could spread. He could die.

The nurse practitioner got on the phone to make appointments with specialists. She arranged transportation to and from the appointments. As it turned out, she was right. Samuel had a laryngeal tumor that required surgery.

Today, Samuel is a happy, healthy kid, back at school with his friends. His mom says she will be forever grateful that we cared enough to help him get the treatment he needed. We are grateful too, that we had a program that allowed us to be part of Samuel's successful care!