FORT WALTON BEACH, Florida – October 7, 2010—For over 50 years, White-Wilson has been committed to providing its patients with the highest level of care available. To that end, White-Wilson Medical Center has implemented an arrangement with Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital for those White-Wilson Pediatric patients that require hospitalization. Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital is able to provide specialized services such as a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, a Pediatric Trauma Center and a Pediatric cancer unit.
According to Dr. Douglas Rigby, President of the Board and Pediatrician for White-Wilson Medical Center, “I have personally been working collaboratively with Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Pensacola to admit pediatric patients in need of specialty pediatric care for 30 years. By formalizing our arrangement with Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, we are simply ensuring that this specialty pediatric care is readily available for our patients if they should need it.”
The Pediatricians at White-Wilson Medical Center believe that it is in the best interest of their patients for the Pediatricians to focus on their primary care roles. An extended, comprehensive healthcare team includes primary care Pediatric physicians, Pediatric Hospitalists, and Pediatric Specialists.
This change will be practically transparent to White-Wilson’s Pediatric patients; less than 1 percent of Pediatric visits require hospitalization. Additionally, this will not affect newborn pediatric care.
“Thanks to modern medicine, a mere fraction of pediatric patients actually need hospitalization. A perfect example is the rotavirus, which causes diarrhea. In the past rotavirus was one of the most common hospitalizations for children. Today, because of the vaccine, this disorder has been essentially controlled,” said Dr. Rigby.
This does not mean that a White-Wilson Pediatric patient should not go to White-Wilson Medical Center or Fort Walton Beach Medical Center’s Emergency Department for something like a broken arm. Rather, White-Wilson Pediatric patients with serious illnesses, such as cancer and severe pneumonia, will be admitted to Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital.
These efforts are part of our continual commitment to provide the highest care available.