Phoenix Children’s,one of the nation’s fastest-growing pediatric health systems, cut the ribbon at Phoenix Children’s Emergency Department — Avondale Campus last week. The new site, which begins serving families today, will answer a pressing need for pediatric emergency services in the Southwest Valley.  

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“We have spent the last several years looking at the needs of this community and determining the best way to address the rising demand for pediatric healthcare services,” said Robert L. Meyer, President and CEO, Phoenix Children’s. “First and foremost, we knew the Southwest Valley needed a pediatric emergency department. Kids fare much better in an ER that’s built just for them and staffed with clinicians who are experts at taking care of children. In the past, kids have been taken to an adult hospital or eventually transferred to Phoenix Children’s Hospital — Thomas Campus. Now, children will have access to an emergency department, built just for them, right here in their own community.”  

Phoenix Children’s Emergency Department — Avondale Campus is designed to accommodate up to 50,000 visits each year. The 35,000 square-foot space will provide 24/7 emergency care, 40 treatment rooms, 24/7 onsite laboratory services and around-the-clock imaging including ultrasound, computerized tomography, fluoroscopy and digital radiography. Staff includes physicians who are board-certified in emergency medicine and pediatrics, and nurses and other providers who have special training in the care of children.  

“Kids are not just small adults,” said Christina Conrad, DO, pediatric emergency medicine physician and Medical Director of Phoenix Children’s Emergency Department — Avondale Campus. “They have different needs, both medically and developmentally. They need clinicians who are trained in pediatrics and can handle seizures and other scary medical situations. They also need right-sized beds and kid-friendly exam rooms.” 

The opening of the emergency department marks the completion of Phoenix Children’s — Avondale Campus, which also includes a three-story, 71,250 square-foot multi-specialty clinic offering expert care in 21 high-demand specialties. This clinic opened in January 2023 to expand access to care in orthopedics, neurology, cardiology, psychiatry, psychology and more.  

While the campus is new, Phoenix Children’s service in Avondale is not. Indeed, after purchasing this land 14 years ago, the health system opened a specialty and urgent care clinic at this site in 2013. The clinic was created to meet the needs of the community at that time, but architectural plans were designed to accommodate future expansion.  

Expansion efforts also are underway at major sites of service across the Valley, all to answer the growing healthcare needs of Maricopa County families. This includes Phoenix Children’s Hospital — Arrowhead Campus, Phoenix Children’s Hospital — East Valley and a series of expansion projects at Phoenix Children’s Hospital — Thomas Campus. Meanwhile, Phoenix Children’s Medical Group continues to expand, in an effort to ensure coordinated, consistent care delivery across all sites of service. 

Learn more at phoenixchildrens.org.