It’s been a tough week for a little Oxnard girl, and her family. She had an unexpected ambulance ride, and emergency treatment at a Ventura hospital.
"Her name is Aleya Alexandra, and she's three years old. She's doing okay. She had a Grand Mal seizure on Tuesday. Her blood sugar was 37, and Dr. Flosi really did a great job trying to bring it up, and she's in good spirits...she's playing," said Renee Alexandra.
She's happy her granddaughter is doing well. And, she’s especially grateful the little girl was able to come to the brand new Ventura County Medical Center Pediatric Unit for treatment.
"When the ambulance came, they wanted to take her to another local hospital," said Alexander. "I knew that this is a new pediatric unit, and I requested for her to come here, knowing that she was going to be able to have the correct level of specialty care that she needed to have."
It’s the only dedicated facility of its type in western Ventura County.
"We just stepped inside of our newly remodeled 16 bed pediatric unit. It's a large square shape. We've got child-friendly graphics all over the walls, a big playroom that has stuff for younger kids and adolescents, mostly individual rooms with places for parents to sleep, and a couple of different nursing stations where our nurses are able to keep a close eye on all of the patients," said Dr. Todd Flosi, who is a Pediatric Hospitalist, and the Medical Center’s Associate Chief Medical Officer.
He said having a facility like this in the county is something he, and other pediatric specialists have dreamed about for decades. "I can't tell you how excited I, and my partners, and the whole team are, just to have a space that's designed and built from the get-go specifically for our needs," said Flosi.
In the past, facility and staff limitations meant young children with serious medical issues would sometimes be sent to other hospitals, like Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Now, many of them can be treated here, with the addition of the unit, as well as a number of specialists.
Hospital officials say pediatric cases have always been a priority, and they’ve tried to add specialists over time.
"We've long included pediatrics in our core mission in the county," said Ventura County Medical Center and Santa Paula Hospital CEO John Fankhauser.
But he said they really needed a dedicated pediatric facility. In 2020, the hospital got a $15 million state grant to build the unit.
"With the granting of the Proposition 4 funds, we were able to remodel an entire unit, and are now able to provide this high caliber pediatric care," said Fankhauser.
The pediatric unit is less than two months old, but it’s been busy since opening. It handles everyone from newborns to young adults. During our visit, 11 of the 16 beds were in use. In addition to the medical care, the unit provides emotional support for the young patients and their families.
"I deal with families, and try to make people's stays here a little bit more comfortable. I know that hospitals can be very scary places, particularly for our pediatric patients," said Stephanie Nelson, who is the Director of Patient Experience, Employee Engagement, and Volunteer Services.
"As a mom of two young girls, I am so happy that we can keep kids in our community," said Nelson. "It's so nice to know that we can take care of them here."
Dr. Flossi said they even have special staff to help explain to younger kids the procedures they will undergo.
"You might be able to start an IV on a three year old, and in comes Katelyn, our Child Life Specialist, with a teddy bear, and a little wrap on the arm, to show how the IV is going to be in the arm," said the doctor. "The child gets a sense of this is where the procedure is going to happen. And afterwards, they can look at the bear, and think were kind of twins."
Alexandra says she feels like her granddaughter is in good hands after her seizure. But, she admits she hopes this will be their first, and last visit to the new pediatric unit. She's hoping her granddaughter will be home in time for Christmas.
