Christus Trinity Mother Frances Health System

The emergency center at Christus Mother Frances Hospital in Jacksonville is the first facility in Texas to be recognized as a pediatric ready facility.

The Texas Emergency Medical Services for Children State Partnership Voluntary Pediatric Readiness Program gave the award to the hospital’s emergency department for its dedication to giving optimal care for sick and injured children.

“Our Emergency Care team is committed to serving our mission of extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Each physician, provider, nurse, Associate and every member of our team is dedicated to caring for our young patients and providing truly world-class service in their time of need,” Barry Lofquist, administrator at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Jacksonville, said.

According to Christus Health, the Voluntary Pediatric Readiness Program has a goal of improving pediatric readiness in communities and critical access hospitals for children and families to benefit from at least one emergency department in their community with the ability to stabilize and manage emergencies related to children.

“In an emergency, when minutes count, it is crucial that your child gets the care they need as fast as possible,” Dr. Greg Freimer, medical director of the emergency care center at Christus Mother Frances Hospital in Jacksonville, said. “Christus Mother Frances Hospital — Jacksonville is dedicated to ensuring that we provide the most severely ill and injured patients with the lifesaving care they need, and that we stand ready to provide it at a moment’s notice.”

The purpose of a pediatric readiness program is to self-identify areas where care can be improved and used efficiently.

“The purpose of this designation is to promote basic readiness for all emergency departments to be able to provide initial stabilization of children with emergency conditions given that nationally, 30% of emergency department patients are children,” Dr. Jane Ragland, chair of the medical executive committee and director of the medicine department at Christus Mother Frances Hospital in Jacksonville, said. “This is crucial, because more than 90% of children are seen in general emergency departments when they have an emergency, not at a children’s hospital.”

The VPRP helps emergency departments gain the ability to treat and manage children safely within their own communities when appropriate, rather than utilize facilities outside of the area. Each hospital must meet specific criteria to earn recognition as well as go through a team of site reviewers, according to Christus Health.

“This assessment and recognition represent the first of its kind in the state of Texas,” Dwain Coates, Clinical Director, Emergency Care Center, Christus Mother Frances Hospital in Jacksonville, said. “This is the culmination of over 20 years of work to get to this day, and we are honored to have received it, and it speaks to the hard work and dedication of our team and our system.”