© 2024 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Apple's latest iOS (17.4) is preventing our livestreams from playing. We suggest you download the free Boise State Public Radio app & stream us there while we work to troubleshoot the issue.

Trauma Program For Kids Opens In Idaho

St. Luke's PICU
The St. Luke's Pediatric Trauma Team in action.

St. Luke’s hospital has just launched Idaho’s first dedicated pediatric trauma program at its Children’s Hospital.

 

St. Luke’s already has an Emergency Department for children. But the new Pediatric Trauma Program goes a step further.

 

“Well, children aren’t just little adults, as we like to say at the Children’s Hospital,” says Dr. Kathryn Beattie, the Executive Medical Director at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital.

 

She says kids have a different anatomy and physiology.

 

“The way they react to a traumatic injury is very different from an adult. And having specialists who focus on care of the child, and are really attuned to that, is really the first step,” says Dr. Beattie.

 

Dr. Kendra Bowman specializes in Pediatric Surgery at St. Luke's. Speaking on Idaho Matters, she says at the heart of the new program is a group of medical professionals that have trained together for months.

 

“There’s a team that looks a lot like a pit crew in a car race. And that team has to function very precisely as a team, know what their roles are, function very quickly to identify injuries and stabilize a child,” says Dr. Bowman.

 

The Trauma Program has been open since April 15. The team has been activated 23 times so far with severely injured children. St. Luke’s says the children who have been treated so far have done well.

 

Find Samantha Wright on Twitter @samwrightradio

Copyright 2019 Boise State Public Radio

As Senior Producer of our live daily talk show Idaho Matters, I’m able to indulge my love of storytelling and share all kinds of information (I was probably a Town Crier in a past life!). My career has allowed me to learn something new everyday and to share that knowledge with all my friends on the radio.

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.