National Network of Children's Hospitals

Lehigh Valley, Pa. (Nov. 27, 2006) – The National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) has accepted Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network (LVHHN) for associate membership.

LVHHN becomes the only hospital in the Lehigh Valley region to attain NACHRI membership and is one of 204 members and supporters of the nonprofit association, a collective voice for health systems devoted to the well-being of America’s 70 million children and their families.

“Participation in NACHRI offers LVHHN a vast communications network with others who understand children, their needs, their treatment and clinical program development,” said John Van Brakle, M.D., chairman of LVHHN’s Department of Pediatrics. “We look forward to learning from colleagues who share our mission and values, bringing our special insights to the association and joining in the imperative for stronger advocacy on behalf of all children.”

NACHRI associate membership is granted to not-for-profit medical institutions affiliated with a medical school and with a strong emphasis on pediatric graduate education but not the primary teaching site for such a program; with a salaried part-time or full-time pediatric director; a minimum daily pediatric census of 45, excluding normal newborns; hospital policy on the housing of patients under an established age; and recognition as a pediatric referral facility.

LVHHN’s inpatient services consist of a 20-bed pediatric unit, a seven bed pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), a 28-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and a 13-bed inpatient Adolescent Psychiatry Unit. LVHHN’s trauma center is among just four in the state with “additional qualifications in pediatric trauma” and has a Regional Burn Center with expertise in the care of children certified through the American Burn Foundation. Inpatient areas are supported by a child life specialist, pediatric respiratory therapists, pediatric focused pharmacists, pediatric occupational, physical and speech therapy, pediatric nutrition and a multitude of pediatric board-certified physicians covering 22 clinical specialties. A pediatric intensivist/hospitalist is in-house 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to cover the PICU, inpatient pediatrics and consults throughout the hospital. In addition, a neonatologist/neonatology nurse practitioner is in-house 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to cover the NICU. The home care division of LVHHN provides home care services to children from birth through age 18.

Outpatient/ambulatory services consist of a ten-bed pediatric ambulatory surgery unit (PASU), a Pediatric Specialty Center, outpatient pediatrics (hospital-based primary care pediatric clinic), and a network of community pediatricians and family practice physicians. In recent years, LVHHN has focused on increasing the number of pediatric specialty physicians and services in the Lehigh Valley and serves as a referral center closer to home for children who live in northeast Pennsylvania.

“We welcome Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network to the family of care givers devoted to improving the health of children, and we look forward to its active involvement,” said Lawrence A. McAndrews, NACHRI’s president and CEO. “Because of their focus on children, institutions like LVHHN are able to identify emerging trends and problems associated with the health of children.”

Children’s hospitals represent approximately three percent of all hospitals nationwide, but in 2004, they provided more than five million pediatric inpatient days accounting for $29.5 billion worth of pediatric care. In addition, the average children’s hospital sees almost 150,000 children per year on an outpatient basis.

With headquarters on the Virginia side of the Potomac River just across from the nation’s capital, NACHRI’s primary roles are advocacy for children and children’s hospitals, public policy analysis, education for its members and the public, and research.

Founded in 1968, NACHRI maintains extensive data on children’s health in general and descriptive data on 204 members and the conditions they treat. Some of the issues NACHRI addresses include uninsured children, children dependent on Medicaid, injury prevention, child abuse and neglect, quality of care, patient safety and seriously ill children.

NACHRI is a pioneer in advancing the concept of integrated child health care networks. When fully developed, these networks will make sure that children get the most appropriate and economical health care from experts who are trained at centers of excellence and accountable to the public for children’s health and health care.

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