Pediatric Care
At St. Francis, we know your child's health and happiness, and access to services and specialists who understand the unique care they need and deserve are what really matters to you when your child needs medical care. We're proud to provide the most extensive pediatric services in the region including pediatric cardiology, neurosurgery and neurology.
Children enter our doors at St. Francis Medical Center ill, frightened and anxious. The Pediatric team at SFMC strives to provide care not only to the child, but to the family also by putting a kind, human face on healthcare.
Our pediatric services consist of a 11-bed pediatric unit and a 6-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), the only PICU in Northeast Louisiana. In recognition of the John Clarke Perry Foundation’s generous donation to the St. Francis Medical Center Foundation, our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is named in honor of John Clarke Perry. As a young infant, John Clarke spent time in our PICU and ultimately gave the gift of life through organ donation. This tiny hero’s name graces the entry to the PICU, and our dedicated pediatric staff continues to honor his memory by providing the best possible care to children in our region.
So that pediatric staff members are easily identifiable for patient safety, all staff members wear black scrubs with pink or blue. The entire area is decorated to make your child's stay a little more pleasant. Making your child feel safe and secure during their time with us is one of our main priorities. In addition, we care for the family as a whole, providing comfortable sleep chairs for parents, as well as a courtesy meal for one parent.
A pediatric playroom, complete with colorful art on the walls made possible by Shelby's Wish, provides an area for the child to go, with supervision, to have some play time. Children's games and other age appropriate toys are provided. Wagons are available so that children who are unable to visit the playroom can take a ride.The Ouachita Valley Federal Credit Union Pediatric Family Lounge provides an area of comfort and relaxation for family members including a kitchenette, homey furnishings and a TV. Find out more here.
Painful procedures such as blood drawing, IV starts and lumbar punctures are done in our treatment room so that the child knows his or her room is a "safe place." The treatment room offers brightly painted ceiling tiles to help keep children entertained during their time there.
Pediatric nurses are trained to take care of many patients having a wide variety of diagnoses. These patients range from critically ill children in the intensive care unit, to those who are on the pediatric floor recovering from minor surgery or medical problems. Pediatric nurses have many special attributes. With the ages of these children varying from birth to 18 years, these nurses have to be skilled in all developmental stages. When children feel threatened and nothing seems "safe," the pediatric nurse is there to deal not only with their physical needs but their emotional and spiritual needs as well. Therefore, regardless of outcome, our patients and families feel they were treated as if they were our own.
If your child needs pediatric inpatient care, please consider St. Francis Medical Center because we care about kids. For more information about our inpatient pediatric services, call (318) 966-4128.
If you are looking for a pediatrician for your child, please consider the St. Francis Pediatric Clinic and Dr. Dayanny Langiulli. For more information about this clinic located in Ruston, LA, please call (318) 966-8370.
St. Francis Pediatrics is a partner of Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, an affiliation which provides improved amenities, technology and physician training to ensure we provide the highest quality of care. This partnership offers patients greater access to specialists, improved processes and connections between your community physicians and specialists available at the main campus of Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge.