YRMC opens pediatric sub-specialty clinic

Austyn Carol, who just turned 13, has a very rare and serious bone disease. Every month he travels with his family to Phoenix Children's Hospital for specialized treatment to keep his bones from deteriorating.

Now Austyn doesn't have to take as much time off from school to travel to Phoenix. Yuma Regional Medical Center and Phoenix Children's Hospital (PCH) have collaborated to bring pediatric care closer to patients and their families in Yuma and outlying communities.

PCH will provide specialty services in nephrology, neurology, rheumatology and urology at YRMC through a clinic.

The Phoenix Children's-Yuma Center, located at the Yuma Regional Medical Plaza, 1501 W. 24th St., began seeing patients in mid-January.

The clinic will be staffed by pediatric sub-specialists from PCH, with services provided in one location “for optimal patient care and convenience.” The new clinic expects to see more than 1,000 patients in 2012.

Phoenix Children's is one of several sub-specialists services that recently started working with Yuma patients. YRMC opened a sub-specialty clinic in October with specialists from throughout the state.

YRMC is also collaborating with University Physicians Healthcare, making it possible for the Tucson specialists to travel to Yuma to see patients.

YRMC CEO Pat Walz noted that YRMC understands how time-consuming and costly it can be for patients to travel to Phoenix or Tucson. Even in cases where procedures may need to be scheduled out of town, the clinic makes it possible for preoperative and postoperative appointments to be scheduled in Yuma.

Individual clinics are scheduled once or twice a month, based on the specialty, which include cardiology, developmental disabilities, gastroenterology, nephrology, neurology, nutrition, rheumatology and urology.

YRMC provides each specialist with a fully equipped office and staff to assist them. Upon referral from the child's local physician, appointments and billing arrangements are handled directly by each specialist's main office.

Walz pointed out that traveling out of the community for care can be difficult for families, especially if they have several children.

“It's not just the driving. If they have other kids and they have to stay overnight, it's burdensome.”

Dr. P. David Adelson, director of the Barrow Neurological Institute at PCH and the division chief of neurosurgery, visited with YRMC division chiefs and pediatricians on Friday to discuss the new programs Phoenix Children's will be offering.

He said the clinic's aim is to improve access to pediatric specialty care in the Yuma and surrounding communities and therefore eliminate or reduce the need for families to travel long distances to seek specialized care.

“We want to provide the best care for children and provide sub-specialists with the opportunity to work with physicians in Yuma,” Adelson said.

He noted that sometimes families travel to Phoenix for a post-op visit that lasts only about 10 to 15 minutes.

“There's no reason to drive to Phoenix. They can work with a pediatrician or neurologist in Yuma without traveling 700 miles round-trip.”

Certain procedures and treatments can also be done locally. “There's no sense in transferring a child to Phoenix,” Adelson added.

Walz said the response from local pediatricians has been positive. “We had identified these disciplines as something we needed in the community. At their request, we went out and looked.”

Yuma pediatricians are also excited about interacting with Phoenix Children's physicians and “working together to find solutions,” Walz said.

Both Adelson and Walz called the partnership between YRMC and PCH a “natural fit,” noting Yuma County's growing population.

Neurology and urology will see patients on a monthly basis. Nephrology and rheumatology will see patients on a quarterly basis. To make an appointment, call toll-free 1-855-372-0664. To reach the sub-speciality clinic, call 336-1303.

Mara Knaub can be reached at mknaub@yumasun.com or 539-6856. Find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/YSMaraKnaub or on Twitter at @YSMaraKnaub.