Region Offers Array of Pediatric Medical Care

LOWELL -- Time is a precious commodity for Andrea Welch.

The single mother is watching her son, 6-year-old Grady, fight a rare, genetic brain disease. There is no cure for his diagnosis of lissencephaly, also known as smooth brain. His symptoms include swallowing and breathing problems.

Pediatric Services

The Centers for Children in Lowell offers a general pediatric clinic and care in 21 subspecialities.

The general pediatric clinic provides diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of children with general health problems. Preventive medicine practices include periodic immunizations, physicial examinations, positive newborn screens and child health maintenance.

Ancillary services at the center include X-ray, ECG, EEG, ECHO, lab services, ultrasound, social work, nutrition and pulmonary function testing.

The center holds weekly clinics in neurology, pulmonology, neurodevelopmental pediatrics and cardiology. The remaining 17 subspecialities rotate once a month to every other month. The 17 monthly subspecialities are:

• Audiology

• Cleft

• Endocrinology

• ENT

• Gastroenterology

• Genetic and metabolic

• General surgery

•Hematology/oncology

• Hemophilia

• Immunolog

• Infectious diseases

• Nephrology

• Neurosurgery

• Orthopaedics

• Rheumatology

• Sleep clinic

• Urology

Source: Arkansas Children’s Hospital

The Springdale family was making the 400-mile, six-hour round trip to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock at least once or twice a month between October 2009, when Grady had his first seizure, and June 2010, when Welch switched to UAMS/ACH Centers for Children in Lowell.

"It makes his care more convenient and takes away a little stress," she said. "It's also nice to be closer to my support system."

The center is a collaborative effort between Arkansas Children's Hospital and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of Pediatrics. The 40,000-square-foot, two-story building opened in 2007 on Lathan Drive near the J.B. Hunt corporate offices.

Marcy Doderer, who took over as president and chief executive officer of Arkansas Children's Hospital in July, said the clinic is designed to provide more care options in a growing part of the state.

Dan McFadden, hospital spokesman, said the clinic had 4,000 patient visits the first year. That number jumped to 25,000 last year, averaging 2,083 visits per month. McFadden said they are on track to hit that mark again this year.

The Lowell clinic offers 21 pediatric subspecialties, including weekly clinics in neurology, pulmonology, neurodevelopmental pediatrics and cardiology. The other clinics, ranging from audiology to genetics, are offered on a rotating basis once a month to every other month. A sleep clinic is held quarterly.

"Part of my role is to help shape the future of Arkansas Children's Hospital well beyond the corners of Pulaski County," Doderer said. "Lowell can be a model of what we can replicate in other parts of the state."

The Lowell location is one of a network of 24 clinics located across Arkansas, and the first to offer numerous specialties at one site. A Centers for Children opened in Jonesboro in August 2012.

Welch said Grady sees several doctors at the Lowell Centers for Children, including a neurologist and cardiologist. They still make trips to Little Rock for surgeries, but most of his treatment can be done in Lowell, she said.

"We can often wait for a specialty to rotate up here instead of spending all that time in the car," she said. "The one-on-one interaction we have with the doctors is amazing. It's one team working together."

The Lowell center opened a general pediatric clinic in December 2010 that provides diagnosis, treatment and follow-up visits for children's basic health needs.

The Schmieding Development Center and the Schmieding KIDS FIRST program are also housed at the Lowell site. The developmental center provides diagnosis and treatment to children with neurological disorders and learning disabilities. KIDS FIRST is an early intervention program for infants and young children with special health care needs.

The center also has a concussion clinic to treat children who suffer possible traumatic brain injuries.

Kila Owens, spokeswoman for the Arkansas Children's Hospital Foundation, said financial support from Northwest Arkansas allowed the clinic to open and continually expand.

She said philanthropy is essential as Arkansas Children's Hospital expands its regional clinics and services offered through Centers for Children.

"Every capital investment made and every piece of equipment purchased have only been possible with generous donor support," Owens said.

The largest donation was a $1 million gift from Karen and John Flake in 2006.

Owen said in the past year two anonymous donors made challenge grants: a $100,000 grant for service expansion and a $50,000 grant to support audiology services.

The Audiology Clinic at Center for Children is scheduled to open in the next few months, she said.

"The space is ready, and we are currently recruiting an audiologist," she said.

NW News on 03/23/2014

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