Lurie Children’s pediatric hospitalists are now serving young patients admitted to the Crown Point hospital.
The collaboration, effective July 1, helps to ensure children and adolescents in the Region receive comprehensive care closer to home.
“For decades, when children would require hospitalization, they would often be transferred by ambulance to hospitals hours from home, sometimes across state lines,” said Ryan Misek, Franciscan Health Crown Point vice president of medical affairs, in a press release. “I have witnessed the added stress and disruption that this causes during an already challenging time for our local families.”
The new Lurie Children’s pediatric hospitalist team will evaluate and treat pediatric inpatients from infancy through adolescence. Lurie Children’s pediatricians will provide daily management of pediatric inpatients, in-house care 24/7 in the pediatric inpatient unit and coordinate care with the child’s pediatrician. They will also manage care for newborns and children in the emergency department.
“Our expanded partnership with Franciscan Crown Point reflects our commitment to providing comprehensive, specialized care to children where and when they need it,” said Richard Lehmuth, senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Lurie Children’s. “Together, we aim to enhance pediatric health care delivery, ensuring every child receives the highest standard of medical care and compassion.”
The partnership builds on the collaboration launched in 2022 between Lurie Children’s and Franciscan Health Crown Point. Lurie Children’s neonatologists staff the Level III neonatal intensive care unit at the Franciscan Health Family Birth Center Crown Point.
“I am proud that we are addressing a need of our growing community and enhancing the overall health and safety of our Region through our partnership with Lurie Children's,” Dr. Misek said.
Lurie Children’s is a nonprofit organization. It is ranked as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Lurie Children’s is the pediatric training ground for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The Franciscan Alliance health care ministry began in 1875 in Lafayette. Today, it has 12 hospital campuses in Indiana and Illinois. The health care system has more than 19,000 employees.
