Pediatrics

Pediatric Services of Saint Anne's Hospital

Inpatient services and Outpatient Hematology/Pediatric Oncology
Saint Anne’s Hospital, 795 Middle St., Fall River, MA 02721     Tel. 508-674-5600, ext. 2510

Fernandes Center for Children & Families (including pediatric rehabilitation services)
Located at:  222 Milliken Blvd., Fall River, MA 02721     Tel. 1-800-280-KIDS (toll-free)
Mailing address:  Saint Anne’s Hospital, 795 Middle St., Fall River, MA  02721

Youth Trauma Program
Saint Anne’s Hospital, 795 Middle St., Fall River, MA 02721     Tel. 508-674-5600, ext. 2283

For decades, Saint Anne's Hospital has prided itself on the scope and level of care offered to our youngest patients.

Today, the hospital offers a spectrum of pediatric services, including:

• the area's only dedicated and licensed inpatient services
• specialized outpatient services through our Fernandes Center for Children & Families
• community and social work services that include youth trauma programs for children and adolescents who have been victims or witnesses to sexual, physical abuse and other trauma, including homicide or violence at home, among peers, or in the community
• outpatient pediatric hematology and oncology care in collaboration with the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center

In addition, many of Saint Anne's clinical services, such as diagnostic procedures (X-ray, MRI, CT), surgery, and emergency care, are tailored just for kids.

That's why Saint Anne's is the hospital recommended by area pediatric providers.

Inpatient Services

Saint Anne's Hospital features Greater Fall River's only dedicated, licensed inpatient unit for children, from newborns through young adults.  Medical care is provided by more than a dozen local pediatricians and valuable affiliations with Children's Hospital Boston and Tufts Medical Center. Saint Anne's Pediatric Department also serves as a community pediatric rotation for first- and second-year interns and residents from Tufts Medical Center and a teaching site for medical students from Tufts University School of Medicine.

The inpatient unit is staffed by experienced pediatric nurses, many of whom are among the most senior nurses at Saint Anne’s.  Many have earned special pediatric certifications and perform valuable service to the community by teaching at local colleges, offering community education programs, and serving on the boards of local organizations.

The Pedi nursing team serves in several capacities. They care for children with a spectrum of problems, such as asthma, infections, respiratory, or diabetes-related problems; recovery from general, orthopedic, or other surgery; and treatment of less common illnesses, such as meningitis or Kawasaki disease. They work closely with local pediatricians and Tufts University School of Medicine pediatric third-year medical students and pediatric interns and residents, and nursing students from numerous schools and colleges, in providing comprehensive inpatient care. If children require more advanced treatment, they are ensured a smooth transition from Saint Anne’s to one of the affiliated teaching hospitals, including The Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center and Children’s Hospital Boston.

Patient education is an important part of patient care – and in pediatric care, this means education for both children and their parents. The nursing staff spends significant time explaining the child’s problem and treatments to family. To make the experience less scary, they maintain a "kid-friendly" environment, wear brightly colored scrubs, and offer amenities, such as rocking chairs, televisions and VCRs in each room, and a library of video games and videotapes.

Outside the hospital setting, the Pedi nursing staff provides information and services at area health fairs, schools, speaking engagements, and other events.

The Fernandes Center for Children & Families

Children with complex medical, developmental, and/or behavioral problems receive interdisciplinary care at The Fernandes Center for Children & Families of Saint Anne's Hospital.

Founded in 1997 as a joint partnership between Saint Anne's Hospital and the May Institute, the Fernandes Center provides cooordinated, family-centered care services in one location for outpatient evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment to children with diverse developmental, behavioral, or special health care concerns. The staff of this unique community resource works closely with referring pediatricians, area schools, and community agencies to coordinate services to help each child and family. 

Pediatric Specialty Care: Pediatric specialty care is coordinated through the Fernandes Center. For many years, Saint Anne's Hospital has brought board-certified pediatric specialists to Southeastern Massachusetts to serve the special health care needs of youngsters in our area. Some physicians have area practices. Others are on the staff of Tufts Medical Center or Children's Hospital Boston and travel regularly to Saint Anne's Hospital to provide specialty services. This ensures that local families get the best in pediatric medicine without extensive travel and complicated scheduling, while allowing the family doctor to remain an integral part of each child's total care plan.

Pediatric specialty areas include learning disabilities, chronic medical conditions, and neurologic impairments. Directed by a psychologist, the FCCF team includes a developmental pediatrician, pediatric rehabilitation specialists, and other behavioral health care professionals. Specialty outpatient services available include:

• Cardiology
• Behavioral health, including child & adolescent psychiatry, child psychology, neuropsychology, and clinical social work
• Developmental pediatrics
• Endocrinology
• Gastroenterology
• Genetics
• Growth & Nutrition
• Nursing
• Nutrition
• Orthopedics
• Rehabilitation (physical, speech-language & occupational therapy)
• Urology

Pediatric Rehabilitation and Therapy Services: The Fernandes Center for Children & Families at Saint Anne's Hospital offers children's physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy and recovery programs, custom-tailored to their needs in a friendly, child-size environment.

For more information or to schedule an appointment for pediatric specialty care, ask your pediatrician or call The Fernandes Center for Children & Families at Saint Anne's Hospital, toll-free, at 1-888-280-KIDS (1-888-280-5437).

Community and Social Work Programs

A service of the Fernandes Center for Children & Families, the Youth Trauma Program provides evaluation and counseling services to child/adolescent victims of sexual, physical abuse and other trauma, including violence at home, among peers, or in the community.

Established in 1984, the Youth Trauma Program services children and young adults through age 21 and their families. Services include individual and family therapy; forensic sexual abuse evaluations; specialized counseling to children with developmental disabilities who have been maltreated; community outreach and education; and group therapy.  A variety of groups is offered to parents of children who have been sexually abused and children and adolescents impacted by violence or sexual abuse.

The Youth Trauma Program's services are free of charge. The program is partially funded through the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance through a 1984 Victims of Crime Act grant.  For more information, call Jennifer Salem-Russo, LICSW, program coordinator, 508-674-5600, ext. 2283.

Outpatient Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program

To help fulfill the region's need for nurturing, patient-centered pediatric oncology services, Saint Anne’s Hospital, in collaboration with the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, provides outpatient cancer and hematology services for Greater Fall River children and young adults.

The collaboration – the first of its kind in southeastern Massachusetts – enables area children requiring diagnostic, weekly, or follow-up cancer and hematology care to receive comprehensive outpatient diagnostic services and on-site complex day therapy. The partnership allows the Floating Hospital Children’s Cancer Center to utilize Saint Anne’s community-based services, including its emergency services, local doctors’ offices, laboratory and imaging services, counseling, and trained oncology nursing, in conjunction with Floating’s advanced therapies and expert caregivers.

Collaborative services include a one-day-a-week comprehensive clinic that offers diagnostic and follow-up laboratory services; weekly chemotherapy treatment; one-day transfusions; radiologic studies; and follow-up appointments after completion of treatment.

This collaboration is an enhancement of the two institutions’ long-standing partnerships in pediatric care, as well as Saint Anne’s longstanding comprehensive adult cancer care program. For many years, Saint Anne’s Hospital and area pediatricians, many of whom are on faculty at Tufts University School of Medicine, have provided training for pediatric medical interns and residents from the Tufts University School of Medicine and the Floating Hospital. The training has allowed these students to learn about caring for children in the community inpatient, outpatient, emergency, and medical office settings, with special emphasis on the medical and social issues that are unique to community hospital patients. Many former Tufts medical students have established practices in Fall River after completing their own student rotations at Saint Anne’s.

For more information about our pediatric hematology/oncology outpatient services, contact:

• Doreen Williams, patient care director, Saint Anne's Pediatric Services, 508-674-5600, ext. 2532
• Saint Anne's Pediatrics, 508-674-5600, ext. 2510
• Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, 617-636-5535