Allegheny Health Network expands inpatient pediatric offerings at its Wexford Hospital

Families in the North Hills with children who need specialized care or treatment for a serious illness may no longer have to travel to a hospital in Pittsburgh.

Allegheny Health Network announced that it is expanding pediatric services at its AHN Wexford Hospital in Pine.

The expanded inpatient services include care for children with acute medical conditions as well those suffering from ear, nose, throat and orthopedic conditions.

“When your child is sick or hurt, every minute counts,” said Dr. Allan Klapper, president of AHN Wexford. “Parents and caregivers in the North Hills can now take comfort in knowing that not only do they not have to drive into the city for pediatric care but, should their child require an overnight stay, they can be cared for right here at Wexford in many cases.”

The hospital’s emergency room has been equipped to provide care for children since the facility opened in 2021.

But until now, most children who needed to be admitted for observation or treatment had to be transferred to another facility.

Klapper said the ability to keep kids close to home for treatment “is a significant milestone for AHN Wexford and for our community.”

Dr. Evelina Krieger, director of pediatric hospital medicine at AHN Wexford, said key to the expansion of services is the addition of a team of pediatric “hospitalists” that includes nurses specifically trained in pediatrics, pediatric physical and occupational therapists and a child-life specialist.

“Pediatric hospitalists are available around-the-clock to care for children suffering from acute conditions, which could include respiratory infections, gastrointestinal illness, dehydration and orthopaedic injuries, among others,” she said.

A child-life specialist is trained to deal with the developmental impact an illness or injury can have on children. Their intent is to help pediatric patients and their families cope with the stress and uncertainty that can by caused by illness and trauma.

Some of the tools they use include therapeutic play, preparation for procedures, and education to reduce a child’s fear and anxiety.

The hospital also has created “kid-friendly” accommodations in its medical-surgical unit along with an “Austin’s Playroom,” which was donated by the Mario Lemieux Foundation to help keep the other kids in a family occupied while their sibling is being treated.

Klapper said the children’s area is outfitted with a Wii Fit console, AppleTV, virtual reality headsets, arts-and-crafts, and other toys and activities “to make their stay with us a little less stressful.”

“We have also been purposeful in the design of kid-friendly patient rooms, ensuring they are not overstimulating, especially for children who may have a neurodivergent condition,” he said.

Neurodiverisity means the brain works differently from the “average” or “neurotypical” person and affects an estimated 15% of the population, according to AHN officials.

The term is used to describe a number of conditions including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia.

“It was vitally important that the AHN Wexford team design programs and initiatives that take neurodivergent children and their needs into consideration,” Klapper said. “We saw the need to accommodate these children. We will offer a mobile sensory cart, tactile and sensory processing toys, noise-cancelling headphones, and ‘flag’ indicators outside each room to inform staff of patient-specific sensory disorders.”

The mobile sensory cart features lights, fiber optics, ceiling and wall projectors. The devices are used to help transform a space into a “relaxing, engaging and empowering multisensory room for hospitalized children,” said Dr. Joseph Aracri, who chair’s AHN’s Pediatric Institute.

The child-life specialists on staff also helps children better understand the treatment they are receiving by printing social stories and visual guides.