MID-CITY — One of the best children's hospitals in the country has opened a facility in Santa Monica.
Children's Hospital Los Angeles, which was named one of the nation's top five best by U.S. News & World Report, this week opened the doors to its new outpatient care center at the corner of Arizona Avenue and 20th Street in the heart of Santa Monica's medical district.
Children's Hospital Los Angeles — Santa Monica will be staffed by 10 physicians who are board-certified in seven specialties and subspecialties, including hematology-oncology, medical genetics, neurology, orthopaedics, plastic and maxillofacial surgery, and urology.
"We are bringing world-class care to the neighborhood," said pediatric neurologist Dr. Kiarash Sadrieh, a Santa Monica resident who will be the staff neurologist at the center. "Santa Monica has great schools, great parks, great beaches and great community programs — now we have the best pediatric specialty care right here close to home. My medical colleagues and neighbors are very excited we're opening an outpatient care center in our community."
The 3,000-square-foot center features seven exam rooms and will offer consults and evaluations. In addition, children requiring a medical procedure at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles campus in Hollywood can have all their pre-operation evaluation and post-operation follow-up visits at the Santa Monica facility, reducing the need to commute across town.
"Families who are taking care of a child with an illness already have enough to worry about, and commuting from the Westside to our main campus can be unnecessarily time-consuming and expensive," said pediatric oncologist Dr. Stuart Siegel, who will serve as staff hematologist/oncologist at Children's Hospital Los Angeles — Santa Monica. "Family-centered care is core to our mission, and by bringing necessary services closer to home we hope to give families more peace of mind and time to spend with loved ones."
The hospital has seen significant demand for its services on the Westside. More than 2,650 Westside children were treated at the main hospital in Hollywood during a 14-month stretch ending this past August, accounting for a total of 5,153 visits, according to a press release from the hospital. That adds up to an estimated 170,000 miles that families commuted to receive care.
Preceded by the hospital's outpatient centers in Arcadia, Valencia and Torrance, Children's Hospital Los Angeles — Santa Monica is the fourth ambulatory care facility opened by Children's Hospital since 2010. Earlier this year, the hospital also joined forces with Providence Tarzana Medical Center in the operation of Providence Tarzana's pediatric and pediatric intensive care units, where patients now have access to Children's Hospital Los Angeles pediatric specialty services.
For more information, visit CHLA.org.
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