EMERGENCY CARE

Johnson County Healthcare Center Recognized as Pediatric Receiving Facility

Having to take a child to the emergency room is never easy, but thanks to the work of the Emergency Department at the Johnson County Healthcare Center, every child who comes to the ER in Buffalo will be well cared for.

The Emergency Department at the Johnson County Healthcare Center was recently recognized as a “Pediatric Receiving Facility,” which means JCHC is equipped with the required specialized tools, training and preparedness to make sure children receive the best care possible.

“We were already meeting all of the criteria, meeting all the qualifications and the staff was educated appropriately, but having this designation, both statewide and nationally, allows the community to know that we are prepared to care for any pediatric emergency,” said Haley Odenbach, JCHC ER manager. “It’s important for us to be able to care for all ages in the community to the best of our ability.”

The Wyoming Pediatric Recognition program, managed through the Wyoming Department of Health, ensures services, equipment, disaster preparedness and staff competencies are in place in a facility that may treat an acutely injured or ill child in Wyoming.

“We are extremely proud of our Emergency Department team for earning this designation,” said Luke Senden, JCHC CEO. “Taking care of the community is our priority, and this is another tool in our toolbelt to ensure that we are offering the best care.”

“The Emergency Department team at Johnson County Healthcare saw this as something they had to do for the people they serve,” said Brandon Kelley, Wyoming EMSC program manager. “They committed to meeting the measures in the program, trained, organized and closed every gap we found in the process, not because they had to, but because they saw the benefit and decided to accept nothing less.”

More information on the National Pediatric Readiness Project, Wyoming’s past performance, and upcoming measurements can be found at https://emscimprovement.center/domains/hospital-based-care/pediatric-readiness-project/.

Additional information about the Wyoming recognition program can be obtained by contacting the Office of EMS at wdh-oems@Wyo.gov.

EMERGENCY CARE INCLUDES:

  • Advanced cardiac life support
  • Pediatric advanced life support
  • Neonatal resuscitation
  • Basic trauma life support
  • Telestroke technology

Johnson County has its share of emergencies, and fortunately, we have a great hospital and a wonderful emergency department that is open 24 hours a day. Equipped with five private exam rooms, two trauma rooms and an IV room, the ER at JCHC is a busy place.

Added to that, JCHC has fully staffed radiology, laboratory and ancillary departments available 24 hours a day to facilitate emergent care. The ER is staffed by seven Family Physicians, a Physician Assistant (PA) and a General Surgeon, plus a great nursing and ancillary staff.

All of our medical and nursing staff take classes to stay current in the latest treatments and medical intervention. If you need to be transferred to a bigger facility, our staff has a great relationship with all of the regional centers and they regularly consult with the physicians in those centers to ensure your best care.

JCHC uses ambulances, helicopters or airplanes to send people to other locations for higher level care. However, we do have the capability to care for more than 90% of all the emergent situations that arrive in the Emergency Room at JCHC.

At JCHC, Telestroke technology allows patients experiencing a stroke to receive faster diagnosis and treatment. Telestroke is a telemedicine technology that connects stroke patients and their on-site emergency department physicians with board-certified neurologists. This allows for quicker diagnosis and treatment of stroke. Through live audio and video telecommunication, Telestroke allows the neurologist to be virtually at a patient’s bedside within minutes of the patient arriving at the JCHC emergency department. This advanced technology improves outcomes and reducing the long-term impact of a stroke.

Most of the time, our staff can fix you up and send you on your way out the door to recovery. We hope you don't have an emergency, but if you do, we are here. We are prepared to help you in any situation when you need us.