Why Choose The Children's Hospital?

from Shine Newsletter, Winter 2007

At The Children's Hospital, everyone from your child's nurse to his surgeon is specially trained to handle pediatric procedures, and everything from the meals to the medical instruments is kid-sized.

Whether your child needs major surgery or a simple blood test, The Children's Hospital is the best choice for his care. Children's may be known for its reputation as a top pediatric facility, but ask 10-year-old India what comes to mind when she thinks of Children's. She'll tell you, "The needles don't hurt there."

India's family has traveled to Children's from their home in Grand Junction every year since she was 2. She needs an annual blood draw to monitor a platelet condition, and the staff at Children's even lets India's sister, Alex, hold her hand during the procedure.

"We could certainly do the blood draws closer to home," says Toni, India's mother. "We prefer Children's because everyone there is an expert who treats children every day. That expertise means they know how to interact with kids, and they also know that an adult-sized needle might hurt more."

SMALL DOSES, BIG CARE

Because children have miniature veins and organs, the pediatric professionals at Children's use smaller needles and other kid-sized medical instruments. Kids' bodies also metabolize drugs differently than adults, and the pediatric anesthesiologists specialize in calculating dosages and administering anesthesia to children. Even the lab is special - it can work with very small amounts of blood.

"I find it well worth the effort to travel 3 1/2 hours to Children's," Toni says. "When it's your child, every procedure is a big deal. Children's is the natural choice."