Early in 1999, Lincoln opened its new $2.2 million Children's Health Center, featuring 49 spacious examination rooms, a playroom/reading room and designed to treat young people from birth to age 19. One very special feature of the new Center is its interactive Starbright World computer network, a program of the Starbright Foundation that links chronically ill children in distant locations--allowing young patients to meet and share thoughts with peers facing similar health problems. The Center provides comprehensive primary and specialty care services in a modern and child-friendly environment. Services are provided by an experienced team of doctors and nurses and include well child care, such as immunizations and physicals, as well as access to subspecialty services including asthma, childhood diabetes and other conditions that affect children.

The Lincoln Asthma and Allergy Clinic provides an individualized, multidisciplinary approach to asthma and allergy management. This is an important service as the residents of South Bronx have the highest occurrence of asthma in New York City.

NEONATOLOGY SERVICE

Lincoln is a New York State approved Level III Perinatal Center. Some newborns are born high risk, requiring immediate medical care. Lincoln's Perinatal Center offers specialized services to address the complex health needs of these babies. Lincoln operates a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that features the latest technological advancements and a team of highly specialized and caring clinicians trained to serve the special needs of high risk newborns.

The neonatology service is the unit for newborns from birth until 28 days of life. The neonatologists provide complete services including:

(1) Counseling for high-risk pregnancies during perinatal period i.e. from pregnancy until birth.

(2) Normal newborn care.

(3) Low birth weight and sick infant care.

(4) Follow-up of discharged high-risk babies.

(5) Evaluation of discharged infants who are hospitalized within the first month of life.

NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (NICU)

The NICU is for the critical care of infants that require specialized nursing, medical and technological care. The NICU at Lincoln is accredited by the New York State Department of Health as a level 3 NICU. Care is provided for all sick infants other than those who require cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery and ECMO (These patients are transferred to the regional perinatal center or to the Children's Hospital of New York Columbia-Presbyterian). The unit is run by a team of expert neonatologists who provide full 24 hour in-house coverage; and has support from all pediatrics subspecialists, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, social services and bio-medical services.

NEONATOLOGY CLINIC

The Neonatology Clinic is held twice a week: on wednesday mornings 9:00 - 12:00 nn and Thursday afternoons 1:00-4:00 PM. The clinic is staffed by neonatologists who take care of high-risk newborns and identifies their ongoing medical and developmental problems. These clinics are supported by other services and subspecialties (hearing screening, eye examinations, physical therapy and rehabilitation services etc.)

NEWBORN NURSERY

The Newborn Nursery is integrated with the Maternal Service located on the 5th floor. It is a new, state of the art floor built in 2007. The design makes rooming in of babies with their mothers very convenient. Parental education is an integral part of the daily program in the unit. Teaching is done by the neonatology attending staff bedside so the parents are included in the education. Follow-up care is part of the services provided by the unit.

PEDIATRIC ICU

The Intensive Care Unit is 8 bed capacity center that provides close and continuous 24 hours services to patients who have serious conditions and need closer monitoring. The unit is staffed with expertly trained personnel and each room comes equipped with the latest devices and equipment. Currently, the unit has a patient load of approximately 600 per year.

PEDIATRIC INPATIENT UNIT

The Inpatient Unit or 4B as it is generally called, is a 32 bed capacity unit most of which are double occupancy. Two negative pressure rooms are also available. The unit handles a wide variety of patients ranging from exacerbation of asthma to life threatening conditions. No patient is ignored and each case is extensively discussed and evaluated by the staff and is given the best and most up to date care. The unit handles approximate 300 admissions a month.

OUT PATIENT CLINICS

The Children's Outpatient Department has 49 spacious examination rooms - the largest in the department. Staffed by an excellent set of physicians, it caters to a wide range of patients. General Pediatric clinics as well as Subspecialty Clinics are held daily, with the clinic seeing about 35,000 patients annually. The clinic sees scheduled as well as walk-in patients and does routine physical examinations, vision and hearing screening, completion of school forms, routine blood and urine tests, lead Screening and PPD.

PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY ROOM

Lincoln has the busiest single site Emergency Room in the region. Pediatric asthma patients receive immediate attention in the emergency room from Lincoln's expert medical staff. The pediatric emergency and critical care team is available 24-hours daily for emergency care. The team has a dedicated location within the Emergency Department for pediatric patients. Emergency behavioral health services are also offered around the clock for children and adolescents who are experiencing a crisis. The Pediatrics ER delivers pediatric emergency care to approximately 50,000 patients annually. Staffed by physicians who have subspecialized in Pediatric Emergency, it has all the equipment and training necessary to handle any pediatric emergency case. Support is also available from other Pediatric subspecialty groups.

The Child Advocacy Center is one of only five programs in New York City. This unique multidisciplinary program provides diagnostic and treatment services for physically and sexually-abused children. The program, which also includes the Child Abuse/Sexual Abuse (CASA) clinic serves in an advocacy role with legal, child welfare and law enforcement agencies and includes a parental education component for the prevention of child abuse. The program also offers short-term psychological therapy for victims of abuse.

The Child/Adolescent Outpatient Services Program provides outpatient behavioral health services to children ages five to eighteen years and their families. Services include assessment, treatment planning, individual, group, family therapy, crisis intervention, discharge planning and consultation services to the Department of Pediatrics.

The Adolescent Service provides comprehensive health services to adolescents ages 12 to 21 through its nationally recognized Teen Center. The Teen Center provides an array of primary care including routine vaccinations and physicals, specialized services, and social services to promote the health and well being of adolescents. The Teen Center was awarded the 2008 National Association of Public Hospital (NAPH) “Honorable Mention” Safety Net Award for Reducing Healthcare Disparities by improving access to care for Hispanic and Black adolescents.

To schedule an appointment with Pediatrics, please call 718-579-4900.