(Omaha, Neb. – July 7, 2011) – A new partnership agreement between Creighton University Medical Center (CUMC) and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center will enhance the delivery of pediatric critical care. The partnership, already in effect, is specific to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patient care.

            “Enhancing the level of care for pediatric critical care patients is the goal of this partnership,” said Creighton University Medical Center President and CEO Gary Honts. “With CUMC’s Level 1 trauma expertise, combined with Children’s dedication to pediatric-based care, we believe this partnership will raise the bar when it comes to providing exceptional pediatric care in Nebraska.”

            “This collaboration will help ensure that critically ill and injured children have immediate access to some of the highest levels of care – an urgent and expert trauma response, coupled with rapid intervention and ongoing treatment from critical care specialists who have extensive experience caring for the sickest children in the region,” said Mohan Mysore, M.D., FCCM, Director of Pediatric Critical Care at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center.

             Under the partnership, CUMC will continue to accept pediatric trauma patients as a designated Level 1 trauma center. PICU patients will receive care at CUMC until fully stabilized. Once stable and approved for transfer, patients will be transported to the PICU at Children’s via the Children’s Critical Care Transport Team for ongoing care.

            As the only pediatric specialty health care center in Nebraska, Children’s provides 24/7, in-house staffing by pediatric intensivists, doctors who specialize in intensive care.  Children’s Hospital & Medical Center operates a 19-bed PICU that cares for patients from newborn through age 21.

            The CUMC pediatric intensive care unit bed capacity of four will remain under this partnership to serve patients who need additional time to stabilize.  There will be no impact on CUMC physicians or staff.

About Creighton University Medical Center
Creighton University Medical Center (CUMC) is one of the region’s premier academic medical centers and one of the largest health care providers in Nebraska.  The organization includes Saint Joseph Hospital, a 334-bed acute care facility; Creighton University Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, and Pharmacy and Health Professions; and Creighton Medical Associates, a network of nearly 300 faculty physicians who practice in clinic locations throughout Nebraska and Iowa.  CUMC is known for its centers of expertise in Cardiac Care, Cancer Care, Trauma, Minimally Invasive Surgery, High-Risk OB, Blood Conservation and Surgery.  Its trauma center is the oldest and busiest in the state, and the medical center offers the region’s first freestanding facility dedicated to cardiac care.  To learn more about the Creighton University Medical Center, visit www.creightonhospital.com.

About Children’s Hospital and Medical Center

Proudly serving children since 1948, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center (www.ChildrensOmaha.org) is recognized as a 2011-12 Best Children’s Hospital by U.S. News & World Report in cardiology and heart surgery, and orthopedics.  It is the only full-service, pediatric health care center in Nebraska providing expertise in more than 30 pediatric specialty services to children across a five-state region and beyond.  Located in Omaha, the 145-bed, non-profit hospital houses the only dedicated pediatric emergency department in the region and offers 24-hour, in-house services by pediatric critical care specialists.