Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital Celebrates Third Birthday
The region’s only dedicated pediatric hospital celebrates its 3rd year of caring for children in central and south Georgia while expanding services to more children and their families
In the three years since Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital (BKOCH) opened its doors on February 25, 2019, central and south Georgia’s only dedicated pediatric hospital has made strides in enhancing the lives of children through excellence in patient care and education.
When the children’s hospital opened its doors three years ago, inpatient children’s services were consolidated under one roof, providing opportunities for expansion to better serve children in need.
Key accomplishments from the past year include:
· Children suffering from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases have benefitted from the children’s hospital’s Virtual Pediatric Infectious Disease Consultation Partnership with Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, NC. Utilizing a “computer on wheels” equipped with a webcam, specialists at Levine Children’s Hospital can consult face-to-face with BKOCH physicians, patients and their families.
· A clinical affiliation between BKOCH and physicians at Phoebe Health in Albany allows patients in southwest Georgia to receive expanded services, including virtual and in-person pediatric specialty consultations, the most advanced pediatric diagnostics available and state-of the art medical treatments close to home.
· A first-of-its-kind breast milk depot located at BKOCH allows local nursing mothers to donate their extra breast milk to benefit premature babies through a partnership with the King’s Daughters Milk Bank in Norfolk, Va. Nearly 15,000 ounces of milk were donated in the depot’s first year.
· Using the Vocera EASE app, families with babies in its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit have a new way to stay connected with their infants and care teams when they cannot be at the bedside.
· Atrium Health Navicent’s “School House Health” partnership with Bibb County Schools was enhanced with the health system providing training, personal protective equipment and school nurses who help keep students healthy and able to learn.
· The children’s hospital is accredited through the Children’s Oncology Group, and for the Child Life Internship Program from the Association of Child Life Professionals.
In 2021, the children’s hospital provided:
· More than 850 neonatal patient visits
· More than 1,200 pediatric critical care visits
· 1,240 general pediatric patient visits
· 16,846 pediatric emergency center visits, a record high since opening the facility
· 4,662 pediatric procedures and surgery cases
· 12,745 pediatric imaging visits
“Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital is constantly innovating to provide the very best care to young patients, expanding access close to home,” said Atrium Health Navient President and CEO Delvecchio Finley. “We are thankful for the community’s philanthropy and support, and for our teammates who work daily to make our children’s hospital a beacon of hope for families across central and south Georgia.”
As the only dedicated pediatric facility in central and south Georgia, and one of the most comprehensive in the state, BKOCH provides care in general pediatrics, pediatric critical care, neonatal intensive care and outpatient services. The hospital also serves as the primary teaching site for the Department of Pediatrics at the Mercer University School of Medicine.
Due to a growing demand for additional service options, by 2018 the hospital had outgrown its facility, constructed in 1962 and designed for adult healthcare. BKOCH was constructed adjacent to the existing facility, expanding the hospital’s size by 100,000 square feet, providing a total of 160,000 square feet dedicated to meeting the needs of ill and injured children.
“By locating pediatric services and highly trained, board-certified pediatric physicians and clinical staff under one roof, and focusing on our community’s youngest patients, Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital is able to provide family-centered care with the latest technology. We are better prepared to expand to provide additional services, ensuring care is available close to home,” said Dr. Mitch Rodriguez, business development director for Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital.
For more information about Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital, or for help finding a doctor, visit childrenshospitalnh.org.
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of healthcare in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and well-being through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 125-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.