Nov. 7, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by Sanford Health.

No one ever wants to find themselves in the emergency department – especially if the emergency involves their child.

But when those scary emergencies do happen, it helps to know where to go for the best care. And in Sioux Falls, that care can be found on the main medical campus of Sanford Health, home to the only pediatric emergency medicine specialists in South Dakota.

A pediatric emergency medicine specialist not only knows the complex biological needs of young patients, but also has a strong understanding of the social and emotional needs of both children and their parents.

“Those of us that do this really love kids. They are a very special population,” said Dr. Donald Ellis, one of the pediatric emergency medicine specialists at Sanford Health. “And we think they deserve some special attention.”

The emergency department at Sanford USD Medical Center recently opened additional rooms to accommodate more pediatric patients and cut down on their wait times. Some of the rooms feature murals to help young patients feel just a little more at ease during frightening or stressful situations.

“Our goal is for every child to be treated just like we would want our own kids to be treated,” Ellis said.

And as the emergency department expands, so does the number of pediatric emergency care providers. Sanford Health just hired its fourth.

“They’re all going to add some really unique skills and help build this department,” Ellis said of his new colleagues. “They’ll set the stage for pediatric emergency care, not just at Sanford Health, but also in South Dakota.”

Families also can count on over 135 pediatric subspecialists next door at the Sanford Children’s Castle of Care to lend their expertise when its needed.

“It really is a team effort,” Ellis said. “I’m not a surgeon, I’m not a gastroenterologist, but we work with those providers all the time. Each patient is someone we are seeing together.”

Child life specialists, who help children prepare for and cope with medical procedures, also may come in to support families in moments of crisis.

“They are critical in a lot of situations,” Ellis said. “When they arrive and help explain the process of an IV or alleviate a child’s fears before undergoing a CT, the child life specialists truly become an essential part of the team. Their assistance is invaluable to those of us who care for children here.”

Whatever brings a child to the emergency department at Sanford Health, each provider and specialist is there to support and comfort them in the best way possible.

“We can’t fix all the chronic problems. We can’t reverse the car crash. We can’t take away whatever bad thing happened,” Ellis said. “But we’re going to do our best to address their needs, whatever they are, and care for them as if they were someone close to us.”

Learn more about Sanford Children’s in the Sioux Falls area here.