Pediatric Practice
Our large on-site pediatric practice provides underprivileged families with comprehensive care in a compassionate atmosphere. It is also a prime site for teaching residents the realities of general pediatrics. Our house staff maintains weekly continuity clinics, which allows residents, under supervision, to follow a cohort of patients over several years. Faculty members also provide direct patient care as well as supervise nurse practitioners.
General Pediatric In-patient Care
Each year, GAP staff members oversee care for more than 800 children who are sick enough to need hospitalization. Faculty members are closely involved in teaching pediatric residents and medical students assigned to Rainbow’s patient care divisions.
Pediatric Consultation and Referral Service (PCRS)
Through our Pediatric Consultation and Referral Service (PCRS) we offer community-based pediatricians immediate access to all of Rainbow’s comprehensive services. At PCRS we accept referrals for patients who urgently require hospitalization or who need timely ambulatory consultations within the scope of general pediatrics. We make communicating with referring pediatricians a high priority, so we are able to provide care to an average of 1600 inpatients each year. Community pediatricians can call us for consultations and referrals at 216/844-PEDS (24 hours a day).
Adolescent Medicine Program
Many of our staff members at GAP are deeply involved in teenage psychosocial and reproductive health. Through our Adolescent Medicine Program we help teenagers with acute problems such as trouble at school, and with managing long-term issues such as reproductive health and sexually transmitted diseases. Teens can get help from our staff members either at Rainbow’s Teen Clinic or at the Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland.
Child Protection Program
In our Child Protection Program we provide medical and psychosocial evaluations for children and teens suspected of being victims of sexual abuse or neglect. Patients see us in Rainbow’s special ambulatory Care Clinic, where our multi-disciplinary team includes a physician, a nurse practitioner. and a social worker. In addition to direct patient care, this program provides professional education and consultation to community-based professionals and programs.
Child Advocacy
Through our Office of Child Advocacy at Rainbow we advocate—at both local and national levels—for the deepest needs of children. Our mission, conducted in cooperation with a vast network of community-based organizations and governmental agencies, is to fight the causes of neglect, abuse, and poverty, to raise the standards for foster care, and to promote the well-being of all children.
Medical Student Core Clerkship
At GAP we offer medical students the opportunity to learn the art of pediatric medicine in real world situations. Third-year medical students from Case Western Reserve University are assigned to Pediatric Core Clerkships at Rainbow. During this two-month program, students serve both inpatient and ambulatory rotations.
Pediatric Resident Continuity Clinic
In our Pediatric Resident Continuity Clinic, physicians build a strong educational base in primary care pediatrics while caring for children on a long-term basis.
Office-Based Resident Education
This program gives residents practical experience working in the offices of community practitioners. Virtually all second and third-year pediatric residents are assigned a mentor physician in whose office they spend half a day each week, follow the patients enrolled in that practice. Rainbow’s program is among the largest in the country, involving nearly four dozen residents and approximately 45 community physicians.
Rainbow Advice Center
The Rainbow Advice Center is a telephone triage service in which experienced pediatric nurses provide daytime and after-hours advice to patients. The service is offered on behalf of academic generalists based at Rainbow and for several dozen community pediatricians. Using computerized triage protocols, our nurses provide high-quality, cost-effective care for more than 100,000 calls per year.