Former NFL quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos Peyton Manning was in Evansville Wednesday, but it had nothing to do with football. Instead, it involved another type of team. A care team.
Manning, alongside representatives from Ascension St. Vincent Evansville and the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, announced a collaboration to bring advanced pediatric care to the tri-state.
“As a parent myself, I understand the importance of selecting a care provider for your child.” Manning said. “You need a doctor and a care team that will listen to you. Now I have seen first-hand the exceptional care provided by our teams throughout the state of Indiana.”
The statewide pediatric care teams have already been hard at work on the integration as Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital pediatricians specializing in endocrinology and orthopedics host regular clinics in Evansville. The St. Vincent Center for Children in Evansville is home to a full-time Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital pediatric gastroenterologist and a full-time pediatric neurologist as well as a world-renowned feeding program. In addition, the Center for Children is also recruiting for a second gastroenterologist and a pulmonologist, and the center is in the process of establishing a pediatric sleep medicine program.
Opening Thursday is the new emergency room for children. It will be staffed by nurse practitioners specially-trained in pediatrics, along with board-certified emergency medicine physicians.
The newly designed space includes seven private treatment rooms (all decorated in an Evansville theme) and specialized equipment for fast delivery of comprehensive emergency care. To reduce anxiety and minimize wait times, X-rays and results from lab tests will be offered to parents inside the emergency room.
