Fourteen-month-old Elaina Gross, with her nurse Molly Duda, RN, was one of the first patients to have surgery in the new Outpatient Surgery Center in Beachwood.
Akron Children’s new Outpatient Surgery Center in Beachwood is filling an important need by providing timely, pediatric surgical care to children in greater Cleveland.
The new center, which is located at 3775 Orange Place, Suite 102, will initially provide pediatric gastroenterology, orthopedic, ear, nose and throat (ENT), and plastic and reconstructive surgery, with plans to add other pediatric surgical specialties by early 2025.
“We are replicating the care we provide in our outpatient surgery center in Akron with the same surgeons, anesthesiologists and surgical services staff caring for patients in Beachwood,” said Daniel Goldstein, MD, a board-certified pediatric anesthesiologist, director of opioid stewardship and medical director of the Akron Children’s Outpatient Surgery Center in Beachwood.
Pediatric anesthesiologist Dr. Daniel Goldstein talks to 5-year-old Jack Barnes about how he will help him go to sleep during surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids.
Dr. Goldstein is proud to be part of these expanded services for families in Beachwood and surrounding communities. He was raised in the area and now lives there with his own family.
“We are increasing access by alleviating long wait times for surgery and making it easier and more convenient for families to receive exceptional surgical care close to home,” he said. “Our team of pediatric specialists is focused on meeting the unique needs of infants, children and teens.”
This includes using anesthesia equipment and techniques tailored to the size of each patient to support successful surgical outcomes.
Julie Wei, MD, MMM, FAAP, director of the Division of Otolaryngology and the Dr. Alfred J. Magoline Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology, is one of the surgeons now operating in Beachwood.
Similar to other Akron Children’s facilities, the new state-of-the-art surgery center features a child-friendly design with bright colors, ample natural light and artwork from local schoolchildren. It complements Akron Children’s specialty services in Beachwood, which offers outpatient care in cardiology, ENT, gastroenterology, neurology and orthopedics. A pediatric urgent care also opened in Beachwood in July.
Akron Children’s has pioneered the perioperative surgical home model of care in pediatrics, which is also being implemented in Beachwood. This model of care uses a pre-surgery clinic to ensure patients are appropriate candidates for outpatient surgery and improve care coordination from the time surgery is scheduled, throughout the procedure and recovery at home. If additional consults, clearances, evaluations or tests are required before surgery, the staff will assist families in completing them and reviewing results to ensure each patient is ready for surgery. The use of telehealth for straightforward cases will help to make the pre-surgery screening process more convenient for families.
Child life specialist Lauren Armstrong keeps Elaina Gross happy and comfortable before she goes into surgery by offering toys and other distractions.
One of the first patients in the new outpatient surgery center was toddler Elaina Gross, who received ear tubes from Julie Wei, MD, MMM, FAAP, director of the Division of Otolaryngology and the Dr. Alfred J. Magoline Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology.
Elaina was referred to Dr. Wei in Akron Children’s Ear, Nose and Throat Center by her pediatrician, Justin Wildemann, MD, Akron Children’s Pediatrics, Mansfield. Elaina’s mother, Kaylee McFarland opted to have the surgery in Beachwood so it could be done as soon as possible. Kaylee estimates that the drive between Mansfield and either Akron or Beachwood is about the same.
Elaina had frequent ear infections, which prompted the need for ear tubes. There is also a concern that she has some hearing loss, but her doctors are hopeful that alleviating the build-up of fluid in the ears will improve her hearing. If not, Dr. Wei will determine if other interventions are needed. At 14 months, Elaina is at a crucial age for language development.
“We continue to focus on creating greater access for patients and families for both outpatient clinic visits and outpatient surgical care, through both increased geographic footprint, as well as increasing the number of providers,” said Dr. Wei.
Click here to follow Elaina through ear tube surgery at our Outpatient Surgery Center in Beachwood.
Briella Crabtree had surgery in the new Outpatient Surgery Center in Beachwood to remove her tonsils and adenoids.
On the same day as Elaina’s surgery, Dr. Wei also operated on Jack Barnes, age 5, and Briella Crabtree, age 10. Both children were having their tonsils and adenoids removed. Jack of Canal Fulton, will be starting kindergarten soon, so his parents were anxious to have the surgery done before school starts. Briella of Vermilion, who will start the 5th grade, missed a lot of school last year due to frequent strep throat. Removing her tonsils and adenoids will help prevent that.
“Since the pandemic, wait times for pediatric otolaryngology services continue to be prolonged across the country for both clinic appointments and elective procedures,” Dr. Wei continued. “Our team is excited to increase access for our community as we know that even routine procedures can significantly improve quality of life for patients and families. We look forward to serving patients and families in Beachwood, regardless of where they live.”
