York-based WellSpan Health has collaborated with a nationally recognized medical center to help reduce the number of young patients being transported out of the county for surgical procedures.
WellSpan has partnered with Maryland-based Johns Hopkins Children’s Center to open the Johns Hopkins General Pediatric Surgery practice in York Township.
The practice, which will be owned and operated by Johns Hopkins, will open to patients on Sept. 1 at 300 Pine Grove Commons.
“WellSpan’s collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center will bring a cadre of specialized pediatric surgeons to the York/Adams community, ensuring that many children in our communities who need pediatric surgical care will no longer need to be transported to hospitals outside our area,” said Dr. David Turkewitz, chairman and education coordinator of pediatrics and director of pediatric emergency medicine at WellSpan.
The practice will offer the latest in surgical treatments for all aspects of pediatric surgery from neonatal to adolescent conditions, including conditions that are rare or require additional pediatric subspecialists. Subspecialists can be pulled from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.
There will be eight Johns Hopkins pediatric surgeons providing consultations at the new practice, and then they will perform surgeries at WellSpan York Hospital.
Starting in October, the surgeons will be available for on-call consultative services 24/7.
Increasing availability to pediatric surgery will make it safer for patients and less stressful on their families, improving the care offered through WellSpan, according to Turkewitz.
“It will allow parents to better focus on the needs of their child, rather than worry about how to get to an unfamiliar hospital, where to park, where to stay, where to eat and how to navigate the hospital,” Turkewitz said.
