Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital Opens New Pediatric Behavioral Health Unit
Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday for the new Virgil E. Cooper Jr. Pediatric Emergency Center Behavioral Health Unit to help meet the needs of young patients.
Located in the children’s hospital’s 24-hour pediatric emergency center, the unit will provide a designated area for medical professionals to provide specialized, emergency care for children and teenagers with behavioral health needs.
Nearly 20 percent of children aged 3 to 17 in the United States have a mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral disorder, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“The Virgil E. Cooper Jr. Pediatric Emergency Center Behavioral Health Unit will serve as an extension of Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital’s Emergency Center, allowing us to better serve young patients with behavioral health needs,” said Atrium Health Navicent Chief Nurse Executive Tracey Blalock. “The unit will also provide a designated area for care while we make preparations for any needed inpatient or outpatient services.”
Funding for the unit was provided by the Navicent Health Foundation and Virgil E. Cooper Jr., a former chief financial officer for the Medical Center of Central Georgia, and an emeritus member of the Navicent Health Foundation Board of Directors.
“Mr. Cooper has provided invaluable support for our health care system for many years, both in his capacity as chief financial officer and as a member of the Navicent Health Foundation Board. We are thankful for his generous donation which will allow Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital to better serve young patients with behavioral health needs. To recognize this gift, and as a token of our thanks, the unit has been named in his honor,” said Navicent Health Foundation President Ellen Johnson.
As the only dedicated pediatric facility in central and south Georgia, and one of the most comprehensive in the state, Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital has the only dedicated Pediatric Emergency room in the area, and also provides care in general pediatrics, pediatric critical care, surgery, 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.
The Pediatric Emergency Center was designed specifically for children and families, and is staffed by board-certified pediatric specialists. Located at 888 Pine Street in Macon, care is available 24 hours a day.
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. 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.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care,with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health serves nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs nearly 155,000 team members across 68 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides nearly $6 billion in annual community benefits.