Norton Children’s Hospital has been verified as a Level I Children’s Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program. The verification means Norton Children’s Hospital meets standards that ensure that children facing surgery receive care under a pediatric multidisciplinary program with quality improvement and safety processes, data collection and…
As a medical student, Kimberly S. Huhmann, M.D., was interested in both pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology. It was during her residency that Dr. Huhmann started considering combining her interests as a pediatric and adolescent gynecology specialist. “It’s the perfect meld of patient care that’s both surgical and procedural, and has continuity,” Dr. Huhmann said. “I love…
Norton Healthcare cut the ribbon on its newly renovated Norton Children’s Hospital pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), marking the completion of a $78 million expansion and renovation project to improve critical care services for children and expand a family-centered approach to treating the region’s sickest kids. The $9 million renovation of the PICU included transforming…
Transgender children are more at risk for depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts than their non-transgender peers, according to researchers. Social transitioning, or social gender affirmation, is a way for children to express their gender identity. Recent studies show that the mental health of transgender youth who get social affirmations of their gender identity is…
Baby poop can be a source of concern for new and veteran parents. If you’ve spent time searching for information about specific colors or textures to understand if it’s normal or abnormal, this is for you. We’ll walk through what’s normal, what’s not, and when to call your pediatrician. Newborn poop: Passing meconium during the…
An ear infection can cause hearing loss in a child, but the symptom is usually temporary and can last a few weeks or more even after the infection clears. The infection causes fluid to build up in the middle ear — between the eardrum and the hearing nerve that carries electrical impulses to the brain….
It’s the middle of the night, and your child seems agitated and isn’t feeling well. You think: “My child is sick. Do I call the doctor? Do I wait until the morning?” Many new and veteran parents will face a situation like this as their child grows. Here are some guidelines to follow to help…
The suicide rate among Black youth had been rising faster than other groups for years before Black communities disproportionately were affected by COVID-19, and news of police violence increased awareness that youth of color may be living in fear. Add the social isolation from COVID-19 restrictions, and mental health professionals are raising the alarm about…
Alyssa Claycomb considers her first two children “healthy as horses.” So during her pregnancy with her youngest child, Cayden Horton, the thought of congenital heart disease never entered her mind, let alone a very rare and usually fatal complex heart abnormality. The anatomy scan during her 22-week OB/GYN visit would change everything. Anatomy ultrasound leads…
Each year, about 1,000 babies are born in the U.S. with sickle cell disease (SCD), one of the most common genetic disorders. Curative options for SCD include bone marrow transplantation and the emerging gene therapies that are available currently mostly in research settings. Red cell exchange is a specialized form of sickle cell treatment that…
Even when she’s delivering the most advanced care to the sickest babies, Tamina R.B. Singh, M.D., medical director of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Norton Children’s Hospital, never loses sight of the family. She sees how powerless new parents can feel with a child in need of intensive care. “A big part of…
Anthony Brettnacher makes friends wherever he goes, according to his mother, Cierra Brettnacher. At age 2, Anthony was diagnosed with a brain tumor, juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma (JPA), an optic pathway glioma. Since then, he’s had brain surgery, stroke, chemotherapy, radiation, endocrinology care, multiple orthopedic surgeries and extensive physical medicine and rehabilitation to improve function in…