Pediatric Services

Giving children a healthy start to life and keeping them well is a priority at Illinois Masonic Medical Center. The pediatric and family practice services includes a diverse range of primary and specialty care physicians who provide patients and families with the peace of mind that comes with experience and compassionate care.

The pediatric unit at Illinois Masonic features primary colors and a lively motif to soothe the senses of the young patients. In the 15-bed unit, nurses provide loving care and understanding to patients and their parents. And to help make the time go by, a child life therapist is available who will play games with the children, make arts and crafts and play videotapes and games. The pediatric playroom stocks books, games and other toys to delight children of all ages.

High-level care for children
Illinois Masonic's pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) treats children with serious and life-threatening illnesses. Physicians and nurses who specialize in pediatric critical care monitor children 24-hours at day in this eight-bed unit. A PICU transport team is on-call to transport children from any hospital in the Chicago area to Illinois Masonic.

As a perinatal center, Illinois Masonic has the medical expertise to care for the most critically ill babies around the clock. Neonatologists and a multidisciplinary team of nurses, respiratory and physical therapists provide premature and newborn infants with treating such problems as immature lungs, birth anomalies, severe infections and respiratory failure. Nurses in the 10-bed Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and 16-bed intermediate care unit provide technologically advanced care that assists the infants to grow at a healthy rate.

Pediatric Specialty Care
Illinois Masonic has many dedicated physicians committed to caring for your child in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Pediatric medical specialists offer care in 14 different areas:

• Allergy/immunology
• Cardiology
• Critical care
• Dermatology
• Endocrinology
• Emergency medicine
• Gastroenterology
• Genetics
• Hematology
• Infectious Disease
• Neonatology
• Nephrology
• Neurology
• Pulmonary Medicine

Pediatric surgical specialists include:

• Ear, Nose, Throat/Bronchoscopy
• General Surgery
• Neurosurgery
• Opthalmology
• Orthopedics
• Plastic Surgery
• Urology

Illinois Masonic also has child psychologists and psychiatrists on staff.

Pediatric Outpatient Services

The Asthma Learning Center
Asthma is a potentially serious chronic condition that results in 1.2 million emergency room visits and 10 million missed school days a year. The Asthma Learning Center at Illinois Masonic Medical Center teaches children and adults how to manage and control their asthma so they can breathe easier. Children and parents will learn about triggers, treatments, medication, peak flows, and how to cope with asthma at school and around pets. Brochures and videotapes are available in English and Spanish.

Pediatric Developmental Center
Helping kids with special needs achieve is the goal of the Pediatric Developmental Center. The center is the state's largest outpatient pediatric developmental program, with about 600 patients and families and 1,000 visits each month in a comprehensive 6,000-square-foot center. A dedicated professional staff provides complete diagnostic work-ups and evaluation services if developmental problems are suspected in children from birth to age 18. Specialists include pediatric neurologists, physical and speech therapists, psychologists and social workers. In addition, consultation with pediatric specialists in genetics, otolaryngology, endocrinology and cardiology is available. Some of the specialized programs available at the Center include:

Developmental Diagnostic Program
Comprehensive evaluations in pediatric neurology, child psychiatry, developmental and behavioral psychology. Speech, physical and occupational therapy are available.

Services for High Risk Children
Services for infants who were patients in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) includes monitoring the development of infants referred from their physician. Monitoring can begin as soon as two weeks after discharge from the NICU and continuing through school age.

Services for Teen Parents
Teen parents and their babies are helped one "step" at a time in the BabySTEPS Program. Primary care physicians, psychologists, and social workers provide regular care for parenting teens and their children who are at higher risk for health complications than the infants of older mothers. In BabySTEPS, infants receive the pediatric care and immunizations they need, while teen mothers and fathers learn about developmental milestones and how to best care for their children.

Early Intervention Services
A multidisciplinary team provides home and center-based developmental therapies for children with special needs from birth to age three. Developmental challenges may include autism, cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, attention deficit disorder, or speech and language delays.

The Sibling Support Program
The only one of its kind in Chicago, the Sibling Support Program has garnered national attention since its establishment. The program provides educational and psychological support groups for the siblings of children with special needs. The program enables the siblings to freely express their concerns and to feel less alone.

Behavioral Psychology Services
Provides family-oriented behavioral psychology services for children at home or school.

Reach Out and Read
This program supports early literacy with age-appropriate books for patients at the Pediatric Ambulatory Care Center, located on the campus of Illinois Masonic Medical Center. Volunteers read to children and distribute books to take home.