Pediatric emergency care at St. David's Children's Hospital

Pediatric emergency room (ER) in Austin, Texas

At St. David's Children's Hospital, we understand that you want the best for your children. That means ensuring they receive high-quality emergency medical care when they need it most.

If your child is in need of immediate medical attention, our pediatric emergency specialists are standing by 24/7 to provide expert care to help them heal.

If your child is experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.

Pediatrics at St. David’s Children’s Hospital

St. David’s Children’s Hospital, located on the campus of St. David’s North Austin Medical Center which is part of St. David’s HealthCare. With a separate, dedicated emergency department, medical-surgical inpatient unit and pediatric intensive care unit for children ages 17 and under, it is staffed with pediatric emergency physicians, pediatric hospitalists, intensivists and other specialties expressly trained to care for children, as well as certified child-life specialists. St. David’s Children’s Hospital provides patients with a wide array of pediatric services, including pediatric surgery; pediatric radiology for interpretation of studies, as well as interventional services; pediatric anesthesia for surgical support; and a wide range of pediatric specialties available for consult and treatment, including general surgery, ENT, craniofacial and plastic surgery, orthopedics, neurology, neurosurgery, urology and cardiology, among others.

Pediatric services and treatments we offer

We offer a wide range of pediatric services and treatments, including:

• Pediatric surgery
• Pediatric radiology and interventional services
• Specialized pediatric anesthesiology services

Additional infant care

Our pediatric services offer patients access to St. David’s North Austin Medical Center’s 57-bed Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), as well as our newborn nursery.

Support services

We also offer additional support services that complement our emergency medical services.

These include:

• Child life services
• Pediatric nutrition
• Pediatric social services
• Pet therapy

Child life services

We know that a hospital visit can be extremely challenging, emotional and frightening for children and their families. That is why St. David Children’s Hospital offers our patients and families the support of a certified child life specialist.

Certified child life specialists are educated and trained in the psychosocial and developmental impacts of illness and injury. They can help promote effective coping skills and support by providing:

• Emotional support—Through a variety of coping techniques, such as alternative focus, relaxation exercises and comfort measures, child life specialists can help reduce anxiety associated with stressful hospital experiences and procedures.
• Medical preparation and education—Our specialists provide age-appropriate explanations and support to children and their families undergoing a procedure, test, surgery or new diagnosis. By providing the right information based on the child’s unique situation, child life specialists can help address fear and misconceptions.

For questions or more information on child life services, please call (512) 901-1999