Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Spring Semester

By Meg Shannahan


Hey everyone, we are officially starting the spring semester of school and I am so excited to start working on my thesis.  I am also sad to have left my family back in Chicago, but I do have to say it was so cold in Chicago compared to Carbondale. When I left Chicago Monday morning it was so cold that my car was completely frosted over and so cold when I got in. I was so surprised to see that how beautiful and warm it is in Carbondale. I know its only 55 degrees Fahrenheit, but compared to the 10 degrees it was in Chicago it feels so amazing.  I even had my car windows open when I was driving around to the stores. My winter jacket is back in my closet, having this nice weather makes me so much happier I truly love summer and warm weather.
Today we have our first studio of the semester and start working with my thesis, which is a pediatric emergency room that is connected to a fully functioning adult emergency room. The hospital I wanted to connect on the pediatric emergency room is Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois.  Loyola currently has a 27 bed emergency facility that has specialty care for trauma, cardiac care, and pediatrics. The emergency facility is a Level I trauma Canter, which is the highest designation of trauma care for Illinois, they also have a Aeromedical transportation available for critically ill patients.  The pediatric emergency care that they provide a pediatric fast track service that is open 5pm- 10pm Monday through Friday and 3pm – 8 pm on Saturday and Sunday. The emergency room usually see’s 15,000 children and adolescents a year at the adult emergency room, where as they see 48,000 patients in the adult emergency room. 
What I am looking to do is to change this hospital from having a pediatric “fast track” or urgent care to a emergency care facility specific for pediatrics, that is then connected to the adult emergency facility. The pediatric emergency care facility will also meet the Level I trauma center and all other medical requirements that the adult facility meets. This sort of pediatric emergency care will make it possible for the hospital have a specific area for children, and will also make it easier for the community to then have a pediatric emergency facility right in there backyard.

See you all in two weeks
Meghan

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