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TMH Rolls Out Partnership To Bolster Children's Emergency Care

Doctors at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare's Children's Emergency Center can consult remotely with specialized physicians at Wolfson's Children's Hospital in Jacksonville via telemedicine.
Ryan Dailey
/
WFSUNews
Doctors at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare's Children's Emergency Center can consult remotely with specialized physicians at Wolfson's Children's Hospital in Jacksonville via telemedicine.
Doctors at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare's Children's Emergency Center can consult remotely with specialized physicians at Wolfson's Children's Hospital in Jacksonville via telemedicine.
Credit Ryan Dailey / WFSUNews
/
WFSUNews
Doctors at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare's Children's Emergency Center can consult remotely with specialized physicians at Wolfson's Children's Hospital in Jacksonville via telemedicine.

A new partnership forged between Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare and Jacksonville-based Wolfson Children’s Hospital is billed as an expansion of pediatric emergency services. Technology like telemedicine plays a role.

TMH sees more than 90,000 pediatric visits per year – and wants to stand ready for even the most seldom-seen illnesses that require emergency care. On Tuesday the CEOs of both companies unveiled the newly-outfitted Children’s Emergency Center Northeast at 1260 Metropolitan Boulevard. Michael Aubin heads Wolfson Children’s Hospital.

"We do 97,000 pediatric ED visits at our Wolfson Children’s locations," Aubin said. "But when you think about that, there are so many different things that we’ve seen, that probably rarely get seen here. But when they do come in, we have expertise we can offer."

Michael Aubin, President of Wolfson Children's Hospital.
Credit Ryan Dailey / WFSUNews
/
WFSUNews
Michael Aubin, President of Wolfson Children's Hospital.

Aubin says some of that assistance comes in the form of training for the Center’s clinical staff. Another perk Wolfson’s network offers is emergency medicine consultation with a physician to the ICU team using telemedicine, according to TMH president Mark O’Bryant

"This partnership is what is a vehicle that will allow us to bring higher, newer levels of care to our community," O'Bryant told a crowd gathered at the Northeast facility Monday.

TMH also announced Tuesday it is expanding education programs for its nurses with little experience in pediatric care.

Copyright 2018 WFSU

Ryan Dailey is a reporter/producer for WFSU/Florida Public Radio. After graduating from Florida State University, Ryan went into print journalism working for the Tallahassee Democrat for five years. At the Democrat, he worked as a copy editor, general assignment and K-12 education reporter.