Mercy Health-Lorain expands pediatric care

Mercy Health – Lorain and Akron Children’s Hospital will expand their partnership to include pediatric emergency medicine expertise, according to a news release.

Through an emergency medicine collaboration, Akron Children’s now offers its expertise as a pediatric teaching hospital to the emergency medicine teams at Mercy Health – Lorain and Mercy Health – Allen Hospital in Oberlin.

In an announcement Feb. 15, officials say the collaboration will help to enhance the current Mercy Health emergency department’s equipment and other resources that Akron Children’s uses to provide emergency medical care to children, the release said.

The Akron Children’s team will share processes, provide education and offer job shadowing to Mercy Health emergency medicine physicians and nurses.

The collective goal is to augment the emergency care that Lorain County children receive, the release said.

“The emergency medicine physicians at Mercy Health – Lorain are experienced in treating adults and children, and they provide excellent pediatric care,” said Dr. Laura Pollauf, director of emergency medicine at Akron Children’s Hospital. “Where we add value is in sharing best practices, quality metrics and the latest recommendations in pediatric emergency care.”

Akron Children’s providers are available for realtime consultations, whether a Mercy Health emergency physician wants to speak to a pediatric specialist, collaborate with an emergency medicine provider or transfer a patient to Akron Children’s

Hospital for a higher level of pediatric care, the release said.

“As our affiliation with Akron Children’s Hospital continues to evolve, we are excited to work alongside a partner who shares the same vision of delivering compassionate, quality care when and where people need it most,” said Dr. Gilbert Palmer, chief clinical officer at Mercy Health – Lorain. “Families throughout Lorain County will further have access to the latest and highest-quality pediatric emergency care right here at home, furthering our promise in making health care easier.”

In August 2020, Akron Children’s Hospital and Mercy Health – Lorain announced a partnership to bring Akron Children’s pediatric health care services to Lorain County.

Akron Children’s Hospital leads operations of three existing Mercy Health pediatric primary care offices in Lorain, Amherst and Oberlin.

It also began offering pediatric specialties including cardiology, neurology and gastroenterology at the Mercy Health – Bitar Medical Center in Amherst, the release said.

The two hospital systems have affiliated with the shared goals of improving child health and offering families greater access to high-quality, costeffective pediatric services. Both organizations will work collaboratively to further Mercy Health – Lorain’s focus on delivering high-quality, compassionate and expert care from birth through adulthood, according to the release.