Dr. Jessica Dooley is a Consultant Pediatrician and Chief & Medical Director of Pediatrics at the Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS). When asked about the pediatric team at the Brantford General Hospital who provide critical services to the youngest patients in our communities, Dr. Dooley explains, “We are a committed group of 9 consultant Pediatricians that provide 24/7 inpatient and outpatient care to children spanning infancy to 18 years. The BCHS has a Level 2 Pediatrics ward with 10 beds and a Level 2b Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) serving infants as young as 32 weeks”.
The Pediatric department at the BCHS also provides outpatient clinics 7 days a week for follow up of infants discharged from the NICU, a Bilirubin (Bili) Clinic for jaundice treatment, a Pediatric Diabetes Clinic, and an Acute Referral Service to provide same or next day care for children being discharged from the Emergency Department, pediatric ward, or, by referral from a family doctor.
Most pediatric referrals come from the Emergency Department (ED) at the Brantford General Hospital, which sees up to 8,000 children on an annual basis. “Our Pediatric Quick Care program provides early Emergency Department assessment of children that may need admission or specialized pediatric care”, says Dr. Dooley. “We are able to process pediatric patients swiftly, minimizing time spent in the in the ED. From there, if required, we can admit children as inpatients and access subspecialty consultation as needed. After discharge, we provide follow up in the in Pediatric Acute Referral Service (PARS) outpatient clinic.”
The PARS & Bili clinics were opened at the BGH in 2019 and saw 600 pediatric patients in its first year. This grew to 2,400 in 2021 and the clinic is on track to see 3,200 pediatric patients by the end of 2022. “You can see by the increase in visits to the PARS clinic that there is a big need in the community to provide this service and to reduce the burden on our Emergency Department” says Dr. Dooley. The Pediatric Quick Care program allows children in our communities to rapidly access service from the right providers in a timely manner, as close as possible to home.”
“Our goal is to provide timely and exceptional care to pediatric patients while minimizing the stress of a hospital visit or stay for families. Redevelopment of the Pediatric Acute Referral Service clinic is critical for providing the equipment and space needed by our pediatric care team and patients” explains Dr. Dooley.
The PARS Clinic is scheduled to undergo a renovation and will be funded through donor dollars. Three new private exam rooms, all new equipment calibrated for pediatric patients, accessible washrooms, and a family-friendly waiting area will allow children and parents to receive care in a more comfortable and less stressful environment. “We are so excited about this space” says Dr. Dooley, “and so very grateful to all of the community donors who have contributed to make this dream a reality”.
