USA Health Pediatric Emergency Center Expansion

Increased space provides benefits for the area’s youngest patients and the staff caring for them.

Expanding the Pediatric Emergency Center at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital has been in the hearts and minds of those involved in pediatric care there for a long time. With fundraising efforts underway for years leading up to June 2021, when the Alabama Certificate of Need Review Board approved plans to expand and renovate the center, the project had reached approximately $10 million out of the initial estimated cost of $15 million through donations. Construction began in October 2021, and the new Pediatric Emergency Center opened in March 2024.

Reshvinder Dhillon, MD, pediatric emergency medicine physician at USA Health, said: 

“The new Pediatric Emergency Center represents a major leap forward in pediatric emergency care for the entire Gulf Coast region. Families no longer need to travel long distances for specialized emergency treatment — we can provide world-class care right here in Mobile. This facility ensures that our children have access to the most advanced emergency medical services, significantly improving outcomes and keeping families together during medical crises.” 

Since the emergency center opened, Dhillon said the staff have experienced shorter wait times, enhanced ability to manage multiple critical care cases simultaneously, increased capacity to handle complex pediatric cases locally and better collaboration between emergency and pediatric specialists in the region.

The newly expanded center is nearly 19,000 square feet — more than double the size of the former emergency department — and has more than 30 treatment areas, including 25 private treatment rooms. Previously, the emergency department housed 14 treatment areas.  The new center also offers two behavioral health rooms and a private space dedicated to pediatric sexual assault patients, along with a sensory room. 

The sensory room offers a variety of modalities to create a therapeutic space that promotes sensory stimulation, relaxation, calming and developmentally appropriate play. The room can be customized to create an environment that comforts the patient best with sensory-seeking items such as sound machines, fidget items, LED lights and a weighted gel lap pad; and sensory-avoiding strategies such as noise-canceling headphones, sunglasses, dimmed lights and comfort positioning.

The new space is also home to several cutting-edge technologies that enhance the care capabilities offered, according to Dhillon. These include: 

• A state-of-the-art pediatric CT scanner with reduced radiation exposure
• Portable ultrasound devices for rapid bedside diagnostics
• Video laryngoscopes for difficult airway management
• Advanced patient monitoring systems tailored for pediatric vital signs

The Pediatric Emergency Center, which is the only healthcare facility in the region offering specialized care 24-hours a day, seven days a week, and staffed with pediatric emergency medicine physicians, has also achieved 100% compliance with the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program’s National Pediatric Readiness Project. The assessment tool empowers emergency departments to improve their capability to provide high-quality care for children, also known as being “pediatric ready.”

In addition to the trained pediatric emergency staff, child life specialists are on hand to help minimize patients’ anxieties and normalize the emergency department experience. These specialists are certified by the Association of Child Life Professionals and trained to support the developmental and psychosocial needs of children undergoing medical experiences. Additionally, social workers are available to connect children and their families with community resources, provide crisis intervention and collaborate with families and medical staff to ensure the highest level of care is provided.

The new Pediatric Emergency Center also helps strengthen the educational and training opportunities of future healthcare providers, including emergency medicine residents, medical students, nurses and nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other allied health professionals.

Other hospitals in the area sometimes transfer their sickest pediatric patients to Children’s & Women’s Hospital for treatment. In recent years, USA Health has recorded approximately 40,000 patient visits a year to the pediatric emergency department. 

“We anticipate that number will grow, and we are excited to increase access to the unmatched services we provide as we continue to meet the healthcare needs of children and their families in the upper Gulf Coast region,” said Owen Bailey, MSHA, FACHE, chief executive officer for USA Health and senior associate vice president for medical affairs.

In the end, the cost of the renovation, construction and equipment was $19 million, with USA Health having raised $14.2 million through donations and state appropriations. Fairhope-based Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects was the architectural firm for the facility, and MJ Harris Construction out of Birmingham was the general contractor for the project.