Hospital Services at Mission Children's Hospital

Here's a look at the services you'll find at Mission Children's Hospital.

Since some medical procedures can seem frightening to children unaccustomed to them, it is important to provide comfort whenever possible. Our Child Life - Certified professionals help children and their families understand and manage challenging life events and stressful healthcare experiences using a variety of creative interventions.

A child having a potentially uncomfortable procedure or one that requires remaining still may need sedation or anesthesia. Our pediatric sedation team works to help a child stay calm or sleep through a potentially stressful or painful procedure or test. We provide an individualized sedation plan based on the needs of your child. Pediatric anesthesiologists provide consultations and work to ensure each child receives high quality anesthesia care. They specialize in examining and treating children in a way that makes them relaxed, cooperative and comfortable.

A child needing blood drawn or a cheek swabbed can feel so much more relaxed when in a child-friendly setting. For your family's laboratory service needs, we provide a lab available to children 18 and younger. Mission's pediatric phlebotomists specialize in calming and administering to children who may be apprehensive about needles or the process of having blood drawn.

Mission Children's Hospital strongly supports nursing mothers. Our WNC Breastfeeding Center provides breastfeeding education, guidance and support for inpatient and outpatient mothers. All staff members are nationally certified lactation consultants. Our center also serves as a resource on breastfeeding issues to regional community hospitals.

Hospital-based care: Whether hospitalization may be required for a long period of time or just for a few nights, your child and your family are welcomed into our specially designed inpatient facilities, geared for the convenience of visiting family members. Hospital-based care includes:

Critically ill and injured children are cared for in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and throughout the hospital. Here, quality intensive care is provided by pediatric intensivists, pediatricians with a specialization in hospital care of critically ill and injured children.

Our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) provides a special environment for medically fragile and premature newborns. Our expert team of neonatologists, nurses and therapists make sure your baby and family receive the most advanced neonatal care and support.

Our Pediatric & Adolescent Specialty Unit serves children and adolescents who have illnesses or surgery related to hematology and oncology, orthopedics, endocrinology and trauma. Because it's important that children have the security and comfort of their normal, everyday activity, we provide our patients with two recreation areas where they can play games, access the Internet, socialize and read.

Our Mother-Baby Unit is designed to provide personal care tailored to the needs of each mother, father and their newborn baby in their own room. Our goal is to have you and your family go home confident in your abilities to care for your baby.

The General Pediatrics Unit at Mission Children's Hospital serves infants through school-age children requiring hospitalized care for common problems like pneumonia and gastroenteritis, to more complicated diseases like cystic fibrosis and seizures. Because kids should still be kids, even in the hospital, we also provide a fun playroom that includes lots of toys, silly mirrors and an aquarium with real fish. Ours is the only nursing unit in Western North Carolina entirely designated for pediatric care.

To ensure comprehensive and continuous care, we provide Hospitalist Services. A hospitalist is a physician specially trained to care for patients while they are hospitalized. These doctors play a critical role in closely monitoring your child's medical condition and ensuring that care is well-coordinated between subspecialists and results in a smooth transition out of the hospital back to your primary physician's care.