The Department of Pediatrics and Clinical Statistics

Advocate Hope Children's Hospital is a premier provider of treatment for children throughout the Midwest. Located on the Advocate Christ Medical Center campus, it is home to more than 175 physicians who provide general pediatric care, as well as specialty care, to more than 5,000 inpatient infants and children each year. This mix of general pediatric and subspecialty patients provides residents with a superior educational environment, offering an advantage over most institutions.

In addition to providing general and subspecialized pediatric care, the department also offers a number of unique and world-renowned programs: Established in 1987, The Heart Institute for Children, headquartered at Hope Children's Hospital, is a center of clinical and academic excellence that provides advanced medical and surgical care for newborns, infants, children and young adults with complex heart disease. The Heart Institute's clinical and research programs are directed by nationally and internationally known leaders in pediatric cardiology, cardiac surgery and cardiac pathology. The related Maurice Lev Congenital Heart and Conduction System Center focuses on cardiac anatomy and cardiac pathology. It is world-acclaimed in the fields of cardiac surgery, arrhythmias and sudden death.

The pediatric critical care network links surrounding community hospitals with components of the critical care division of the department including:

• The Level III Perinatal Center (highest level)
• The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
• Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
• The Pediatric Trauma Program
  

The pediatric oncology program is among the busiest providers of cancer care to the children of Chicagoland. The program expanded its facilities in 2004 to include The Keyser Family Oncology Clinic and also provides a stem cell transplant service.

As a Level III Co-Perinatal Center, Christ Medical Center treats high-risk pregnancies and neonates with life-threatening illnesses and offers:

• Neonatal and maternal transports
• The fetal diagnostic center
• The center for genetics and genetic counseling
• The high-risk nursery
• Fetal surgery

In addition to this wide range of services, the following pediatric subspecialties and special services are available:

The Department of Pediatrics at Christ Medical Center participates in teaching more than 150 medical students, 100 residents (pediatric and other specialties) and ten fellows each year. Students, residents and fellows from other institutions frequently choose electives in various pediatric subspecialties. The program has academic affiliations with three local medical schools.

2006 Department of Pediatrics Statistics:
Pediatric Admissions 5,084
Occupancy Rate 84%
Length of Stay (general wards) 3 to 4 days
Newborns (normal) 3,561
PlCU Admissions 891
NICU 542
Transports from other institutions 1,100
Outpatient Visits (general and subspecialty) 40,000
Emergency Room Visits (pediatric) 22,000
Surgical Cases (general and subspecialty) 4,200

Lastly, the department shares with other programs in the excitement of our new auditorium educational complex, which offers six teaching venues, two classrooms and a technologically state-of-the-art auditorium that seats 250.