Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Specialized Emergency Care at Baystate Children's Hospital

If your child has a medical emergency, the Sadowsky Family Pediatric Emergency Department at Baystate Children's Hospital  (located within Baystate Medical Center) is where you want to go.

As western Massachusetts’ only pediatric emergency department, we’re staffed 24 hours a day with pediatric emergency specialists and nurses. Board-certified pediatric emergency specialists treat young people from birth to 18 years of age with expert, compassionate, round-the-clock care. If it’s necessary for your child to stay at the hospital, our specialized inpatient units within Baystate Medical Center – the Children’s & Adolescents’ Unit and the region’s only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit – are here for you.

When to Go to the ER

In an emergency that threatens life or limbs, call 911 immediately. Emergency care is intended for serious illnesses and injuries, including:

• Allergic reactions that are severe – trouble breathing, hives, swelling
• Animal bites
• Baby diapers that have not been wet for 18 hours
• Bleeding that’s heavy or difficult to control
• Breathing trouble, including severe asthma attacks
• Broken bones, especially if a bone sticks out through the skin
• Chest pain
• Coughing or vomiting blood
• Deep wounds
• Fainting/unconsciousness
• Heartbeat that’s fast and won’t slow down
• High fever that is accompanied by a stiff neck or severe headache
• Seizures
• Severe burn, pain, headache, or head injury
• Shock
• Sudden change in speech, vision, walking, or movement
• Unconsciousness, unresponsiveness, sudden sleepiness, or confusion
• Uncontrollable vomiting or diarrhea

If the condition is life threatening or you cannot safely transport your child to the Pediatric Emergency Department, call 911.

Everything Your Child Needs for Comprehensive Emergency Care

Both our Pediatric Emergency Department and Baystate Children’s Hospital are specially designed to care for kids. We have everything your baby, youngster, or adolescent needs, including:

• A family-friendly waiting area with colorful decorations and child-sized furniture
• Areas made especially for diagnosing and treating children
• 18 private treatment rooms for children and their families
• Child life specialists who help children and their families understand medical matters through play, support, and education