You may bring your child to an Emergency Department for many reasons. Our pediatric emergency physicians and nurse specialists are available 24 hours a day to help immediately and if necessary, to refer your child for any special help that’s needed. We act as the front door to Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. Once your child comes to us, you can be sure the right pediatric specialist will treat your child.

Because we know that emergency room visits often require bringing other children along, we’ve organized our waiting area especially for families. You’ll have a family liaison staff member assigned to you who can get your questions answered and help other siblings keep busy with crayons, coloring books and stories.

Rainbow’s Pediatric Emergency Department also has Child Life specialists to help make your child as comfortable as possible. These pediatric specialists are trained to talk with kids about what is happening to them. If your child needs tests, for example, such as drawing blood, having a CT scan, or an IV started, your specialist will explain what’s going on—in developmentally appropriate terms that your child can understand easily. For young children, we often use pictures to help them understand. We offer reassurance and explanations at every step of the way. For serious emotional issues such as suspected abuse, one or more of our team of social workers will be assigned to help you and your family.