Hours Expanded for Pediatric Emergency Center at Ocean Medical Center

Online, January 12, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Ocean Medical Center has expanded the hours of operation for its Pediatric Emergency Center, which is located in the main emergency department in Brick. Saturday and Sunday hours now run from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Weekday hours continue from 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

"We're committed to providing these services when our community needs those most, which is why we have extended the weekend hours," says Bradley Pulver, M.D., medical director of the Emergency Department at Ocean Medical Center.

The Pediatric Emergency Center at Ocean Medical Center opened two years ago and is specially designed to meet the unique needs of young patients, from newborn to 17 years old. Pediatricians trained in emergency medicine and pediatric nurses (R.N.s) provide coverage seven days a week, during the most common times of day when children are brought to the emergency department. Children will continue to be treated in the main emergency room all other times of the day.

The Pediatric Emergency Center is located adjacent to the main emergency room. When families arrive at the emergency department, they check in at the main registration area, but they are then be brought to a comfortable, kid-friendly treatment area that is separate from adult patients.

An additional feature of the Pediatric Emergency Center is that the pediatricians are the same experts who support the emergency room at the K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital, Ocean's sister facility in Neptune. This relationship ensures prompt access to specialists at the children's hospital in the case of a more serious injury or illness.

For more information about the Pediatric Emergency Center at Ocean Medical Center, visit OceanMedicalCenter.com.

About Ocean Medical Center
Ocean Medical Center, a member of the Meridian Health family, is a 281-bed non-profit community hospital located in Ocean County, New Jersey, providing health care programs and services in all major medical disciplines, including maternity; oncology; orthopedics and rehabilitation; general, neurological, thoracic, and vascular surgery; cardiology; dialysis; and emergency and critical care services. The Medical Center features Magnet award winning nurses and is a System Partner, along with the other Meridian Health facilities, with the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Ocean Medical Center also operates the state's first Satellite Emergency Department in Point Pleasant, called the Ocean Care Center. For more information, call the Meridian Health Line at 1-800-DOCTORS or log on to our web site at www.OceanMedicalCenter.com.

Contact:
Donna Sellmann, Public Relations Manager
732-840-3279
dsellmann@meridianhealth.com