St. Luke's Boise Medical Center
Pediatric
Unit
Our Pediatric Unit offers family centered
care to patients from infancy through adolescence. We understand
that children have different needs than adults, and require
the special attention and skills our staff can provide. St.
Luke’s Pediatrics is uniquely designed with an indoor-outdoor
play area, colorful décor and fascinating environments
to help comfort children. Staffed by specially trained pediatric
nurses, all rooms on the unit are private, and parents are
encouraged to stay 24 hours a day. Physical, speech and language
and occupational rehabilitation services are offered on site.
Children who need extensive rehabilitation services are referred
to the Idaho Elks Rehabilitation Hospital, which specializes
in children’s services.
Team Members
The pediatric team consists of many professionals
who have been trained in the care of infants and children
,as well as support staff and volunteers. We are here because
we love kids. We’d like to introduce you to our team
members:
Patient Care Providers (Registered Nurses) provide direct patient care to your child. They watch over your child and frequently assess his or her condition.
As part of the team, your child’s Physician makes rounds once or twice a day to manage their care.
Patient Care Coordinators assist in organizing care and preparing your child for discharge.
Respiratory Therapists (RTs) are specially trained professionals who monitor and assess any respiratory (breathing) problems your child may be experiencing.
If you need emotional support or financial assistance, a Social Worker is available.
If you would like to talk with a Chaplain, please contact your nurse.
CAPS are specially trained aides who help the staff take care of your child.
Child Life Specialists are available to help prepare your child for procedures, provide distraction during procedures, involve children in play activities and to help them have a positive hospital experience.
Volunteers are available at certain hours to help with the care of your child.
Other professionals that may visit your child include physical therapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, lab technicians and medical imaging (x-ray) personnel.
Meal Times
Breakfast cart: 8-9:30 a.m.
Lunch: noon
Dinner: 5 p.m.
Pediatric menus are available for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is served from a cart with a variety of cereal, yogurt, mini-bagels, muffins, and fresh fruit. Food and/or fluids may be restricted at specific times, such as before surgery, after surgery, and during some illnesses.
For your child’s health and safety, please
DO NOT give your child ANYTHING to eat if you have been
asked not to.
Mothers breastfeeding a hospitalized child receive meal vouchers
for lunch and dinner; morning meals are available from the
breakfast cart.
Meals for Families
The cafeteria is located on the ground floor and is open from 6:30 am to 10:00 am for breakfast, 11:00 am to 2 pm for lunch and 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm for dinner. The cafeteria can also be accessed from 1:30 to 4 am.
The Big Apple Deli is on the third floor. Open Monday-Friday from 11 am to 7:30 pm and weekends from 11 am to 2:30 pm, the deli offers made-to-order sandwiches plus soups, salads and beverages.
Café 190, a coffee and espresso bar, is located near the main lobby and is open Monday-Friday from 6:30 am to 7 pm and Saturdays from 6:30 am to 12:30 pm (closed Sundays). Along with hot and cold beverages, they also offer pastries, bagels and cookies.
Vending machines are located in the cafeteria as well as next to the elevators on the ground floor, fourth floor and sixth floor.
Families may also bring food from home. For your convenience, a refrigerator is located in the kitchen to store this food. Food must be labeled with the patient’s name and dated. Food left in the refrigerator for more than 24 hours will be discarded. Please talk with your child’s doctor or nurse before you give your child any food not provided by the hospital.
Guidelines for Visitors
Parents and grandparents are welcome at any time. We ask that others visit between 10:30 am and 8:30 pm.
Brothers and sisters may visit, but an adult must supervise them at all times. Staff can be responsible for patients only.
For the safety of our patients, visitors who have any illness, such as a cold, cough, diarrhea, flu or have been exposed to any communicable disease (such as chicken pox), may not visit and should not enter patient areas.
Regulations for visiting in an isolation room are strict and must be followed. Your child’s nurse will explain the type of isolation required as well as the procedure for wearing gloves, gowns and masks when necessary.
Good handwashing is essential, before and after patient contact. Please wash your hands thoroughly before you leave the room. This will help us control the spread of infection.
Staying Overnight with Your Child
One parent is welcome to stay overnight with your child on the sleeper sofa available in each room. We will supply linens for your sleeper bed. For safety reasons, no one is allowed to sleep on the floor. You may use the shower in your child’s room. Towels, soap and shampoo are available.
Medications must be ordered by your child’s physician. If you bring medications from home, please show them to the nurse. To prevent medication errors, do not give any medications to your child during the hospital stay.
Beds come in a variety of age-appropriate sizes. For the safety of your child, crib sides must be ALL the way up, ALL the time, unless you are right beside the crib. Safety rails are also used on youth beds.
Assessment and Care. Sick
children are not simply little adults. Children’s medical
conditions can change very quickly, and these changes can
be difficult to detect at first. Staff on all shifts need
baseline information about your child’s condition—this
is a very important part of basic care. Please help staff
to complete an assessment of your child at the beginning
of each shift. Night shift personnel may need to awaken sleeping
children.
Please save diapers for the nurse to examine and weigh. Older children will be given a “hat” or urinal to urinate in. Please save urine for the staff to check.
Miscellaneous, but Important . . .
To protect everyone’s confidentiality. We ask that you not go into other patients’ rooms. Please do not ask staff about other patients.
We have movies! A list of available movies is located in the top dresser drawer in your child’s room. Just tell the nurse or CAP the movie you’d like to watch. Before you can run the VCR, your TV must be on channel 3. You may bring in your own movies, please be sure they are clearly marked with your name.
A playroom for patients is located in Pediatrics. A staff member or volunteer must be in the playroom whenever children are there. If you have any questions about playroom hours, please talk with your child’s nurse or a child life specialist.
An outside play deck is available for patients and their visitors during playroom hours, as long as there is a staff member or volunteer available.
To enhance your child’s hospital stay, we have special programs for them. Pet Therapy (volunteers with specially trained dogs) visits three times a week. Clowns entertain patients and families on a weekly basis.
The Ronald McDonald House is available for patients’ families living outside of Ada County that are in need of temporary housing, located just 2 blocks from St. Luke’s on Warm Springs Avenue. Call 336-5478 for more information.
Questions?
For more information about St. Luke’s programs and services, Call St. Luke’s at (208) 381-9000.
If you are away from the Pediatrics Unit and would like to inquire about your child’s condition, please feel free to call us at 381-2645.
