We live in a hub of great health care, with so many choices, it can be difficult to know where to go in the throes of an emergency. Our regional resource list tells you where to find the best pediatric care by state, stat.
Pennsylvania
South Jersey
Delaware
When to get to the ER, stat!
When to avoid the ER
Pennsylvania Pediatric Emergency Rooms
Abington Memorial Hospital
Dedicated pediatric ER staff
Average pediatric wait time
# of pediatric beds
Kid/parent waiting area
Specialties & TLC
1200 Old York Rd., Abington, PA
Pediatric inpatient unit administered by Abington and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
20+ nurses have additional education on caring for pediatric patients; all nursing and paramedic staff are certified in pediatric advanced life support.
Most patients are bedded immediately; 11-to-16-minute wait for minor acute care.
15 bed pediatric unit
Designated kids’ corner with toys and diversional activities in main waiting area. Parents can wait with children at all times; cot provided.
IV adjuncts assist with IV insertion. Simulation used for advanced pediatric life support education. Facilities follow “Image Gently,” where radiation protocols are altered for kids.
Bryn Mawr Hospital: Main Line Health
130 S. Bryn Mawr Ave., Bryn Mawr
Staffed by Nemours pediatric emergency physicians and hospitalists, who team with Bryn Mawr Hospital nurses certified in pediatric advanced life support.
25 minutes or less
9 beds
Separate children’s waiting room with a computer that allows parents to access info from Nemours’ KidsHealth.org. Parents stay with child in private emergency treatment room.
Access to pediatric surgeons 24/7, with Nemours specialists available for consultation as well as a transport team for children who need advanced care at Nemours/duPont Hospital in Wilmington, DE.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
3401 Civil Center Blvd., Phila.
Nationally ranked pediatric hospital treats 90,000 patients annually in its emergency department.
Staffed by 30 board-certified specialists in pediatric emergency medicine and a nursing team also specially trained in pediatric medicine.
Patients are seen within 1 hour; a high-volume plan during the busy winter flu season increases staff to decrease wait times.
69 beds
Each private exam room contains age-appropriate books, posters, activities and telephone access for parents, who are accommodated in-room. There’s a separate urgent care area for kids who are not acutely ill.
First Level 1 Trauma Center for children in the Delaware Valley is home to a Poison Control Center. An on-site radiology department has the capability to provide conscious sedation for potentially painful procedures.
Crozer-Chester Medical Center
1 Medical Center Blvd., Chester
Relationships with Alfred I. DuPont and CHOP.
Board-certified pediatricians from 11am to 11pm; at other times, kids are seen by board-certified emergency medicine physicians.
30 minutes or less
21 inpatient pediatric unit
Separate pediatric waiting room. Parents can wait with children at all times; cot provided.
On-site burn-care facility verified by the American Burn Association and American College of Surgeons. Other available pediatric services include physical and speech therapy, audiologic testing, dysphagia therapy and video swallowing studies.
Doylestown Hospital
595 W. State St., Doylestown
The Della Penna Pediactric Center is located on 3rd floor, with a dedicated nursing staff and pediatric hospitalist who will be available for pediatric ER consultations.
As “quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Specialized pediatric critical care room
Berenstain Bears images adorn an ER hallway. Separate family-friendly waiting area features a stained-glass Peter Pan scene, books and special kids’ hand-sanitizing wipes. There is space in each ER room to accommodate parents.
Severely acute patients are sent to CHOP via T3 helicopter stationed at Doylestown Hospital. Many members of the nursing staff hold Teddy Bear Clinics at local health fairs to lessen children’s anxiety about a possible visit to the hospital.
St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
160 E. Erie Ave., Phila.
One of three Level I Trauma Centers capable of highly specialized treatment of the most critically injured children; treats more than 70,000 ER patients annually.
Board-certified pediatric emergency medicine physicians in attendance at all times; pediatric and surgical subspecialty care available for consultation.
ER wait times, available off-site via app (for iPhone and Android), are updated in real time every 5 minutes, with estimations subject to change based on magnitude of illness or injury.
36 exam rooms and 1 trauma bay in Emergency Center; 24 rooms and 5 critical care bays in the Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center.
Safari-themed learning lobby; child-life playrooms and movie areas available for children admitted in-patient.
Contains the area’s only dedicated pediatric burn facility, staffed by specially trained plastic and pediatric surgeons, pediatricians, nurses and social nurses. Advanced lab capabilities make for a short lab-testing turnaround time. Critical care transport service available 24/7.
Other Area ER Options
Chester County Hospital, 701 E. Marshall St., West Chester. Affiliated with CHOP Newborn & Pediatric Care
Hahnemann University Hospital, 230 N. Broad St., Phila. Affiliated with St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
Holy Redeemer Hospital, 1648 Huntington Pike, Meadowbrook
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce St., Phila.
Temple University Medical Center, 3401 N. Broad St., Phila.
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 132 S. 10th St., Phila. Affiliated with Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital; concussion specialty
Local Pediatric Urgent Care Centers
CHOP Urgent Care, 500 W. Butler Ave., Chalfont
CHOP Urgent Care, 550 S. Goddard Blvd, King of Prussia
Holy Redeemer Pediatric Urgicare, 1648 Huntingdon Pike, Meadowbrook St.
Christopher’s Pediatric Urgent Care in Abington, 500 Old York Rd., Suite 250, Jenkintown
South Jersey Pediatric Emergency Rooms
Children’s Regional Hospital: Cooper University Health Care
Dedicated pediatric ER staff
Average pediatric wait time
# of pediatric beds
Kid/parent waiting area
Specialties & TLC
1 Cooper Plaza, Camden
Cooper contains South Jersey’s only designated children’s hospital as well as its only Level 1 Trauma center, which treats both adult and pediatric patients.
7 staff physicians are board-certified in pediatric emergency medicine and 1 is board-certified in child abuse and neglect.
45 minutes or less
6 private pediatric exam rooms and 2 pediatric trauma beds
Separate pediatric waiting area includes table toys and televisions tuned to kid-friendly programming.
Parents are encouraged to stay with their child at all times; in-room sleeping arrangements are offered. The hospital has the capability for procedural sedation and the presence of a child life specialist, to help ease patient anxiety.
Inspira Medical Center Vineland and Woodbury
1505 W. Sherman Ave., Vineland; 509 N. Broad St., Woodbury
In the Vineland center, the pediatric emergency department is specially equipped with child-friendly equipment and examination rooms.
Staffed by a team of emergency medicine physicians, specially trained nurses and pediatric hospitalists from Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE; also offers specialty consultations and close collaboration with child’s pediatrician upon in-patient admission.
Wait times can be viewed in real time here.
8 in Vineland; 6 in Woodbury.
Vineland has a kid-friendly waiting area with tropical-fish mural. Parents can stay bedside with their children in comfortable chairs.
Advanced Level III neonatal intensive care unit offers care for infants born as young as 28 weeks into pregnancy. Partnership with pediatric specialists from Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital in Wilmington, DE.
Kennedy University Hospital
435 Hurffville-Cross Keys Rd.,Turnersville
Though Kennedy Health has locations in Cherry Hill and Stratford, this Washington Twp. site is the network’s hub for pediatric care.
No separate pediatric ER section, but children younger than 18 are seen and treated by a dedicated pediatric staff.
25 minutes or less
25 private treatment rooms overall; none designated for pediatric care
Separate children’s waiting area partnered with the Ronald McDonald House Waiting Room has toys, video games and a concession area.
Parents have 24-hour visitation privileges; in-room sleeping arrangements are offered. The ER’s Dr. Adam Richards was awarded the March of Dimes. Born to Shine Award in 2012 for his commitment to pediatric emergency health care.
Virtua Memorial Pediatric Pavilion
175 Madison Ave., Mt. Holly
Relationship with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Combined-care unit welcoming to pediatric patients through bedside triage, registration and specialized pediatric care by certified nurses and pediatric hospitalists who provide a seamless transition from emergency visit through to in-patient admission, if necessary.
Wait times can be viewed in real time at www.virtua.org/patient-tools/er-wait-times.
8 emergency beds, plus 3-chair fast track/minor injury area in the Pediatric Pavilion.
Separate pediatric waiting room, with comfortable seating, television and touch-screen games. All but one of the pavilion’s ER rooms are private, and parents are encouraged to stay with their children.
Full-time child life specialist helps decrease anxiety in the hospital setting. Dedicated advanced nurse clinician assists in educating pediatric staff and keeping practice current and evidence-based.
Virtua Voorhees
100 Bowman Dr., Voorhees
Received the Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence 2014 Award for patient satisfaction and was rated “A” for patient safety by Hospital Safety Score.
CHOP Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician coverage, as well as RNs and patient care technicians specific to the pediatric emergency department.
Wait times can be viewed in real time at www.virtua.org/patient-tools/er-wait-times
9 pediatric beds, plus 6-chair fast track/minor injury area.
Pediatric-friendly waiting area with video games, books, tables, as well as DVD players with DVDs in each patient room. Parents can stay in-room with patient.
Specialties in pediatric radiology and telemedicine.
Urgent Care Facility
Kinder Pediatric Urgent Care, 530 Green St., Woodbridge, NJ; 732-371-4400
Pediatric Emergency Rooms
Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children
Dedicated pediatric ER staff
Average pediatric wait time
# of pediatric beds
Kid/parent waiting area
Specialties & TLC
1600 Rockland Rd., Wilmington
Delaware’s only Level 1 pediatric trauma center and Level 1 pediatric emergency care facility is one of only eight hospitals nationwide to carry both of these highly specialized designations.
Staffed by a physician team of 18 attending doctors board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric emergency medicine, plus 6 fellows with advanced training in pediatric emergency medicine. There’s also a child life specialist in the ER during most hours
Pager provided so patients know when it’s their turn to be seen
44 exam rooms, 2 trauma rooms, 3 triage rooms; each room is private with a door that showcases art from children in the tri-state area
Two distinct waiting areas, “one for arriving families and one for families waiting between procedures”
Each room is equipped with a touch-screen computer that features kid-friendly interactive videos about certain tests and procedures. Upon request, Child Life Specialists can off offer play activities to calm children’s nerves.
Other Area ER Options
Bayhealth Kent General, 640 S. State St., Dover
Bayhealth Milford Memorial, 21 W. Clarke Ave., Milford
Bayhealth Emergency Center, 315-401 N. Carter Rd., Smyrna
Beebe Hospital Emergency Room, 424 Savannah Rd., Lewes
Christiana Hospital, 4755 Ogletown-Stanton Rd., Newark; Level 1 Trauma Center for adults and children
Nanticoke Memorial Hospital, 801 Middleford Rd., Seaford
Newark Emergency Center, 324 E. Main St., Newark
St. Francis Hospital, 701 N. Clayton St., Wilmington
Wilmington Hospital, 501 W. 14th St., Wilmington
Get Your Child to the ER . . .
The following symptoms merit an immediate trip to the emergency department:
- Fainting, loss of consciousness, seizure or convulsion
- Fever (temperature > 100.4) in a newborn
- Respiratory distress: rapid or difficulty breathing; visibly using chest and stomach muscles to breathe; neck pulls in or nose opens wide when breathing
- Sudden dizziness, weakness or change in vision
- Change in mental behavior, such as confusion, inability to make eye contact or difficulty waking
- Severe or persistent vomiting or vomiting blood
- Severe or persistent diarrhea or blood in stools
- Profuse bleeding or bleeding that won't stop with direct pressure after 15 minutes
- A gaping wound with edges that don't come together
- Problems with movement or sensation after an injury
- A stiff neck associated with fever or headache
- Accidents involving pedestrians or bicycles and cars
- A red/purple rash that doesn't disappear when brief fingertip pressure is applied to the skin
- A bulging or sunken fontanel (soft spot) in infants
- Sudden severe pain anywhere in the body
- Falls from significant height
- Signs of dehydration — not crying tears, a dry mouth or dry diapers for 12-24 hours.
- Severe wheezing or chest tightness that worsens.
- Lips or fingernails that turn blue or gray in color.
