The youngest and smallest patients can often be the sickest in the hospital. Just ask Benson Hsu, MD, pediatric critical care specialist at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center.
“Over the past decade, I’ve cared for critically ill children and work alongside other pediatricians and pediatric specialists here in Sioux Falls to make them better,” said Hsu, who is also a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine and serves as the Chair of the critical care section at the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Avera has been caring for children for over a century. Over the past two decades, Avera has been steadily growing its pediatrics program.
Growth in Pediatric Specialties
Pediatrician Kara Bruning, MD, joined Avera in 2006 after completing residency. “At that time we had four pediatricians and a couple subspecialists,” Bruning said. “Now we have 10 pediatricians and a large group of subspecialists,” working in the pediatric specialties of cardiology, critical care, endocrinology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, neonatology, nephrology, neurology, orthopedics, and pulmonology/sleep medicine. Pediatric critical care physicians, neonatologists and pediatric hospitalists are available around the clock for hospitalized children. Pediatricians and family practice physicians care for children across the entire system, and pediatric specialists offer outreach visits at numerous sites.
“In the past we had just one physician in several of the different pediatric specialties. Now we have recruited and continue to recruit multiple physicians within a given specialty,” said Mark Vortherms, Vice President for Primary Care, Avera Medical Group. “These are specialists who choose to live and work in Sioux Falls.”
Pediatric specialties that are new to Avera include orthopedics, nephrology and infectious disease. “We have pediatric physicians at Avera who have been nationally recognized and trained at top institutions all across the U.S.,” Vortherms said.
“As a pediatric critical care specialist, physicians in the whole spectrum of specialties are available to support my care,” Hsu said.
What’s Behind the Growth in Pediatrics
One reason behind this expansion is population growth in Sioux Falls. With that comes overall growing demand for all health care services.
It’s also been strategic. “As Avera grows specialties like women’s and family practice, naturally pediatrics is going to become a demand area as well,” Vortherms said. Also, advancements in medicine have brought more advanced treatment options received from specialists and subspecialists.
Another reason is culture and fit.
“The culture of this organization is the belief that the primary purpose of a health care system is to take care of the community and to do whatever is necessary to fulfill that calling. In short, it’s doing the right thing for your patients and for people. As part of Avera, I can see all the decisions of my day-to-day practice through that lens, and it’s really inspiring,” said Hsu, who recently joined Avera.
Pediatric Care Close to Home
In Sioux Falls, Avera has developed Family Health Centers that include a range of specialties from family practice to pediatrics, OB-GYN, internal medicine, dermatology and orthopedics. These centers, located on Marion Road and at Dawley Farm, each offer urgent care and a 24/7 free-standing emergency department.
“That’s worked incredibly well. Patients look to go to a physician close to where they live or work. And if families can receive all their care under one roof, close to their neighborhood, that makes a huge difference,” Vortherms said.
Avera also leverages telemedicine to deliver care closer to home.
“One of beautiful visions of Avera has been the use of telemedicine to care for patients as close to home as possible,” said Hsu, who consults with physicians at other Avera hospitals via telemedicine so not all children need to be transferred to Avera McKennan.
“Taking a child away from their community disconnects them from their support network, siblings and perhaps even parents as well as everything that’s familiar to them,” Hsu said. “So as much as we can, we are providing the necessary care and expertise through telemedicine so families can stay closer to home.”
Children’s Mental Health Services for the Mind and Spirit
Avera has been the regional leader in behavioral health and psychiatry for decades. And behavioral health, including inpatient care, is a vital aspect of the pediatric care continuum.
“At Avera McKennan, children are most often hospitalized for bronchiolitis, asthma and dehydration. Yet children are also hospitalized for behavioral health conditions like depression or suicidality, and at Avera we offer the resources for these inpatient needs as well,” Bruning said.
With construction of the Helmsley Behavioral Health Center, Avera recently expanded its space for child and adolescent inpatient care at the Avera Behavioral Health Hospital with new offerings that include adolescent addiction care and partial hospitalization.
“Our behavioral health program has seen incredible growth due to the behavioral health challenges facing youth today. Behavioral Health and the Pediatric service lines have come together to focus on pediatric mental wellness,” Vortherms said. “Having a strong mental health program is so important in taking care of the whole patient – in pediatrics and for all ages.”
“With more physicians and more specialties we are continuing to grow and serve more patients,” Bruning said. “In pediatric care, kids are the center of our world.”
Learn more about Avera pediatric services.
