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 

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