TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – As a Kansas City hospital announced it\u2019s closing its pediatric intensive care unit this summer, a Topeka hospital wants families to know they can find care for critically-ill children closer to home.<\/p>\n
Six-year-old Ridley and her family have endured beeps and chirps from hospital monitors throughout her life.<\/p>\n
\u201cRidley was born at 25 weeks gestation weighing a little bit over 1 pound,\u201d said Kerri Jones, Ridley\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n
Ridley spent five months in the NICU and had heart surgery a few months later. She has struggled with eating issues and chronic lung disease.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the chronic lung disease, any time she gets a common cold or any type of illness her lungs can\u2019t handle it so she ends up in the hospital quite often,\u201d Kerri said.<\/p>\n
Care close to home<\/p>\n
Ridley has been able to get most of her care at Stormont Vail\u2019s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Topeka.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see a lot of medical patients, typically respiratory patients, diabetic patients and a few behavioral health-related things,\u201d said Rachel Ault, RN, nurse manager at Stormont Vail.<\/p>\n
Stormont\u2019s PICU is staffed with specially-trained nurses, pediatric intensivists, and pediatric specialists in endocrinology, neurology, cardiology and hematology. The hospital also employs two child life specialists.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir whole role is making sure the child\u2019s hospitalization is as normal and non traumatic as possible,\u201d Ault said.<\/p>\n
Ridley\u2019s family is happy to have the care minutes away from their Topeka home, rather than driving to Kansas City like they did for her heart surgery.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard on everyone, we also have other children and trying to find the balance,\u201d Ridley\u2019s father Jeff Phillips said.<\/p>\n
The family has seen the personal care firsthand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey remember us, they remember Ridley, which is big to me,\u201d Kerri said. \u201cHere I feel like she is known and they know her story and therefore know what\u2019s best.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeff said watching his daughter struggle has been difficult.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not, for me, a more helpless feeling in the world than watching your kid struggle and not being able to help them \u2014 that\u2019s up to the doctors,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is what we\u2019ve always wanted \u2014 happy Ridley playing and enjoying life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stormont\u2019s PICU opened in 2011 with six beds. Their staff also assists with pediatric cases in other areas of the hospital, like surgery and the emergency room.<\/p>\n