The new Mastroianni Family Pediatric Emergency Department at Jupiter Medical Center recently opened. Located adjacent to the hospital’s existing emergency department, the new pediatric ED brings specialized pediatric emergency care closer to home for residents of Jupiter and the surrounding communities.
The 6,300-square-foot facility is designed to foster a sense of calm for children and their families. Features include:
• Dedicated family waiting and play areas with child-sized furniture, games and an interactive play area—all designed to reduce the anxiety of being in the emergency room.
• Eight treatment rooms, each of which features child-sized exam and diagnostic equipment, as well as televisions and a mobile game system to help children feel more comfortable and at ease.
• Two triage rooms where pediatric nurses assess patients upon their arrival by evaluating their condition, symptoms and vital signs with the goal of expediting their care and reducing overall wait times.
• An orthopedic room to fast-track the treatment of children with broken bones or other orthopedic complaints.
• Medical equipment designed specifically for pediatric patients.
The Mastroianni Family Pediatric Emergency Department, which provides care for patients up to 18 years of age, operates 24 hours, 7 days a week with a team of physicians staffed by Envision Physician Services and Jupiter Medical Center nurses and paramedics trained in pediatrics. Additional staffing includes a child life specialist whose job includes using play therapy and other techniques to ease anxiety, while helping children understand their medical condition and the care they are receiving. Should the need arise, patients can receive consultations with pediatric specialists in general surgery, orthopedics, gastroenterology, cardiology, otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat), and other areas of specialization.
The new emergency department is made possible through a generous gift of $3 million from the Mastroianni Family Foundation. Members of the Mastroianni family were on hand for the ribbon-cutting and ceremony, including Nick and his children Nicholas III, Anthony and Audrey, along with their spouses and children—including their latest addition, Nicholas Mastroianni IV, born to Nicholas and Jessica earlier this month.
“Jupiter is a special place to me and to my family—this hospital is where all my children’s lives have begun. It is truly a gift to work alongside the talented and profoundly dedicated teams at Jupiter Medical Center and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital on our joint mission to enhance the lives of children in our community,” said Nicholas A. Mastroianni III, co-founder of the Mastroianni Family Foundation.
“We are grateful to the Mastroianni family for supporting our mission to provide high quality pediatric emergency care in a comfortable environment for children and their families,” said Liv Vesely, president of Jupiter Medical Center Foundation.
“Since opening the De George Pediatric Unit in 2016, Jupiter Medical Center has experienced a 30 percent increase in pediatric emergency visits and until now these patients received care in the same space as our adult patients,” said Steven Seeley, interim co-CEO of Jupiter Medical Center.
Patients who visit the Mastroianni Family Pediatric Emergency Department will benefit from Jupiter Medical Center’s ongoing partnership with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, a trusted leader in pediatric care in South Florida for nearly 70 years. Nicklaus Children’s Hospital continues to share best practices, policies and procedures developed and continuously enhanced over decades of providing care for children and their families. Experts from both institutions are collaborating to provide world-class pediatric emergency care.
“The opening of the new ED marks an important milestone in our collaboration with Jupiter Medical Center,” said Dr. Narendra Kini, CEO of Nicklaus Children’s Health System. “We are pleased to work together with Jupiter Medical Center to benefit the children and families of Palm Beach County—sharing Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s nearly 70-year legacy of excellence in pediatrics.”
The emergency department is equipped with a state-of-the-art Mindray patient monitoring system that digitally communicates with the hospital’s electronic medical record. If necessary, patients can be seamlessly admitted to the hospital’s De George Pediatric Unit for inpatient care, which is also operated in partnership with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. Child-size remote controlled cars are available to make the transfers to the pediatric unit more comfortable and as pleasant as possible.
“We have made extraordinary progress in expanding the pediatric services we are able to provide, and we are just getting started,” said Joanne Miller, interim co-CEO of Jupiter Medical Center. “Later this year, we will open the Level II De George Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Having the pediatric emergency department along with a NICU close to home will give parents in our community much-needed peace of mind.”
