Welcome pediatric hospitalists to Salem Health Medical Group!

14 Oct 2018

By: Lisa Ketchum, RN, director of women’s and children’s services

 

We are pleased to welcome our pediatric hospitalist providers to Salem Health Medical Group!

Drs. Jill Pearson, Erin Perkey, Bryan Child and Lauren Bouton became part of Salem Health Medical Group this month. 

They join Dr. Fara Etzel, who has been a SHMG member since October 2017.

The pediatric hospitalist medicine team provides 24/7 care to the children in our community, allowing families to stay close to home when hospital services are needed. Salem Health’s pediatric hospitalists partner with patients’ primary care providers to ensure continuity of care, from the clinic to the hospital and back.

The program started in September of last year and began providing 24/7 coverage in December 2017. Last winter (the busiest time of the year for pediatric inpatient care), we saw a 28 percent growth in our pediatric volume. With the availability of providers in-house, who are able to respond quickly to changes in patients’ conditions, we are also able to keep children here in the pediatric unit who previously would have been transported north for care.

Dr. Pearson, the pediatric hospitalist medical director, is committed to continuously striving to improve the care provided to the children in our community. Her passion is echoed by all of the providers who are dedicated to providing compassionate and evidence-based clinical care in collaboration with the interdisciplinary teams at Salem Health. A member of the pediatric hospitalist team is always available for questions and consultation, and they can be reached through WebXChange or the switchboard.

We appreciate the initiative of our community pediatricians, family practice providers and OHSU’s Department of Pediatrics in starting the pediatric hospitalist program at Salem Health. We look forward to continued collaboration with all of you as the program continues to grow.