#19 - Pediatric Emergency Care Systems Are Failing Our Kids & It’s Costing Their Lives with Phyllis Rabinowitz

In this episode, hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech Looby chat with Phyllis Rabinowitz, Co-Founder and Co-President of the R Baby Foundation. Phyllis co-founded the R Baby Foundation with her husband, Andrew, after the loss of their nine-day-old daughter, Rebecca Ava, due to a misdiagnosis in the emergency room. The R Baby Foundation is the first and only foundation dedicated to making sure every emergency room is prepared to give babies and children lifesaving care.  Phyllis emphasizes the importance for emergency care to be tailored to the needs of babies and children. Each year, a study estimates that 1400 children pass away, and many other children receive inadequate care,in emergency rooms because of the lack of pediatric preparedness. Phyllis recommends that parents research their local emergency room(s) to see if they have pediatric care coordinators and meet a checklist of pediatric preparedness standards. Phyllis, Bruce, and Messellech also discuss policy changes that would ensure better training, staffing, equipment, research, and education to improve the delivery of emergency care and treatment to children. Learn more about pediatric emergency room care:  Checklist and Toolkit for Pediatric Readiness Project, EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center Blog: Children Are Not Little Adults: Ensuring Adequate Pediatric Emergency Care in U.S. Hospitals, By Bruce Lesley  Resource: Sponsor Your ER, by The R Baby Foundation  App: find ER now  Article: Children Are Dying in Ill-Prepared Emergency Rooms Across America, By Liz Essley Whyte and Melanie Evans, Wall Street Journal  Follow the R Baby Foundation on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.  To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  Send us comments on thoughts via email: [email protected] Find us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_Focus Want to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here.  To support our work and this podcast, please consider donating to First Focus on Children here.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.