Two hospitals partner up to provide specialized pediatric care at new clinic
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IDAHO FALLS — A new pediatric specialty center is set to open on Monday in hopes that it will provide additional convenience for patients in the surrounding area.
“Study after study has shown that if people can get healthcare closer to home, they not only have better outcomes, but they feel better. Traveling can take a lot out of you if you have to get that specialty care. So the fact that people can get that specialty care closer to home means that hopefully, we are going to have better outcomes and happier patients,” said Glen Beeby, a spokesman for Intermountain Healthcare’s Primary Children’s Hospital.
Primary Children’s Hospital, based in Salt Lake City, has partnered with Idaho Falls Community Hospital to provide specialized pediatric care for children in Idaho. On Monday, Primary Children’s physicians will begin offering outpatient cardiology services at The Idaho Falls Community Hospital Pediatric Specialty Center located at 2330 Desoto Street in Idaho Falls.
“This partnership is exciting because for decades now, doctors from Intermountain Primary have been serving this area and have been coming up (from Salt Lake) to see patients but they haven’t always had the capacity to take on new patients so this new partnership will allow us to not only see new people but also expand,” Beeby explained.
Before, patients in the area could go see doctors from Primary Children’s Hospital at an urgent care in Idaho Falls or go to Salt Lake City.
Now that the clinic is opening in Idaho Falls, it provides a new space with six patient rooms. Each room has a painted mural inside.
“Every room has a different theme. We want to make it as comfortable and as inviting as we can,” said Brian Ziel, marketing director for Idaho Falls Community Hospital.
Primary Children’s will expand local services by the end of 2022 to include orthopedics, urology, and some same-day surgeries.
“For us, the best part is the same-day surgeries so instead of a family having to travel down to Salt Lake, more than a three-hour trek just to get a same-day surgery, the surgeons will be able to come here. They will be able to do the surgery over at Idaho Falls Community Hospital who we are partnering with and then the kids will be able to go home and then the best part is they can do their follow-up care here as well,” said Beeby.
In 2020, Primary Children’s provided care and life-saving treatments to more than 4,000 children in Idaho.
“Partnering with Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital seemed like a natural fit for Idaho Falls Community Hospital,” said Casey Jackman, Chief Operations Officer at Idaho Falls Community Hospital in a news release. “Primary Children’s has been providing care to children of southeast Idaho for decades. Working with such a high-quality healthcare system shows our commitment to the community.”
According to a news release, “This Primary Children’s Hospital network of care is part of Intermountain Healthcare’s commitment to create the nation’s model health system for children. This multi-faceted plan and investment of at least $500 million in children’s health will be shared by Intermountain Healthcare and community philanthropic support through an emerging campaign organized by Intermountain Foundation. This network expands the reach of Primary Children’s high standard of pediatric care, to ensure every child has access to the right care at the right place at the right time.”
