To manage extended emergency department stays for admitted patients, the Jersey Shore University Medical Center Pediatric ED uses proactive bed management and strategies such as the

Jersey Shore University Medical Center Pediatric Emergency Department

Pediatric Care Bridge Program. This program transitions care of admitted children in the 21-bed ED to an inpatient pediatric team. These providers assess the patient, manage treatment and communicate with the family to ensure care continuity. This model improves care coordination, maintains access to specialists and involves families in decision making. By bringing inpatient services to the ED, the program reduces risks from prolonged boarding, enhances safety and improves the overall patient and family experience while awaiting a bed.

In response to the escalating pediatric mental health crisis, JSUMC’s Emergency Psychiatric Services implemented universal lethal means counseling for all discharged pediatric patients. This evidence-based strategy aims to prevent suicide by reducing a child’s access to potential methods of self-harm. Recognizing that many suicide attempts are impulsive, trained clinicians engage families in sensitive conversations at the bedside. They focus on creating more time and distance between a person in crisis and lethal means, such as firearms and medications.