It's thanks to people like you that will allow us to save the next child.
Help us keep our Foundation running by donating to our organization. All donations are made via Pay Pal which is encrypted and you can make your
donation via credit card, debit card, or electronic drafts and can be in any amount.
The Purpose of the "Requesting Pediatric Intensive Care Action" is to obtain a Pediatric Intensive/Critical Care facility which would service the children of
Pasco, Hernando and Citrus Counties.
Between all three of these counties there is approximately 141,000 children that do not have intensive care available to them locally. All of these counties
are drastically changing from a primarly elderly population to more families with children. In Hernando County alone the percentage of 18 year-old and younger
population is the second largest demographic just under the 65-79 year-old age group. The counties are growing rapidly and according to U.S. Census Bureau's list
of the 100 Fastest Growing Counties, Pasco County was number 50 and Hernando County number 83.
Currently residents of Hernando County must drive either 45 minutes to St. Joseph's in Tampa or over 1 hour to All Children's in St. Petersburg-this is not
good enough for our children. Some children, like Rachael, don't have the time to drive to a facility an hour away. Intensive care should be available to all
the residents of the county regardless of their age and currently pediatric care is not available.
Unfortunately, like me, most parents believe when they are taking their child to the local ER their child will be seen by a doctor and one who is qualified in
pediatric care. This, most likely, is not the case. All too often Physician Assistants are treating our children and they do not specialize in pediatric care. In
Hernando County something as common as a broken arm may be referred to St. Joseph's or All Children's Hospital depending on whether there happens to be a
pediatric orthopedic specialist in the hospital the day you bring your child in. If there is not, there is not much that can be done and you will be required to
follow-up at another hospital. If you have children, you know how frequently they can become ill, especially in the early years and broken bones are almost a
guarantee in childhood. We need a facility that our children can be seen at and diagnosed and tended to immediately.
If you are a resident of Pasco, Hernando or Citrus county and would like to see a Pediatric Facility closer to home please sign our petition. We will be
taking these petitions along with testimonials and a demographics package when we meet with hospital officials on August 2nd, 2007.
