By Kathy L. Collins
When a child is seriously ill, parents often face many challenges, one of which might be the distance of their home to a hospital capable of caring for their child. Parents in Eastern Hillsborough County can now breathe easier knowing that Brandon Regional Hospital has established an eight bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is staffed by a team of high level healthcare professionals including three Pediatric Intensivists who are dual board certified physicians in pediatrics and pediatric critical care medicine. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit features the latest equipment needed to care for the most critically ill young patients. Much of the equipment is not found in the standard pediatric unit.
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit complements the additional comprehensive services offered by the 10 bed pediatric in-patient unit and reflects the hospital’s on-going commitment to exceptional patient care. Both the Pediatric Unit and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit offer healthcare services to children in Eastern Hillsborough County in a calming and comforting environment. The Pediatric Emergency Room at Brandon Regional Hospital is staffed with pediatric physicians 24 hours a day.
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit opened in January and is available for patients from infancy to 18 years old. The opening of this unit was a priority for CEO, Bland Eng who, since coming to Brandon Regional Hospital, has wanted to increase pediatric services in the community. “We have a growing population in the greater Brandon area. As a regional hospital, it is important that Brandon Regional Hospital provide highly skilled care services such as the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.”
Eng is credited for developing and expanding the children’s unit at his previous hospital, The Children’s Hospital at Palms West in Loxahatchee.
Dr. Hamid Latif is one of the three on staff Pediatric Intensivists. Dr. Latif said, “Brandon Regional Hospital has the capability of taking care of very sick patients. We can deal with complex cases involving breathing and infectious problems.”
Brandon Regional Hospital is located at 119 Oakfield Dr. in Brandon. For more information, please visit www.BrandonRegionalHospital.com.
