Emergency and Trauma Care
If you or your child are experiencing an emergency, CALL 911 or visit your nearest emergency department.
From the moment an emergency medical situation happens to your child, we are ready to help with the highest level of children’s medical care possible.
We’re proud to have the only pediatric emergency department in West Michigan, which is designed specifically for kids and staffed by experts in pediatric emergency medicine. We even offer a free valet parking service so you can focus on your child and leave the parking to us.
We’re also a Level I trauma center, with a pediatric trauma care team that provides care for severe injuries. We are recognized as experts in pediatric trauma and burn care with specially trained physicians and nurses available 24 hours a day to care for unexpected or severe injuries.
Should your child require admission to the hospital from the emergency department, our dedicated pediatric specialists will provide attentive and child-friendly care.
Our injury prevention program is the lead agency for Safe Kids Greater Grand Rapids, helping the community with tips, education and safety events to keep your child safe.
A multispecialty approach to treatment
Our team is led by a dedicated group of board-certified pediatric emergency medicine physicians. Our nurses and other team members all have special interest, knowledge and training in the emergency medical care of children. We work closely with all other specialty and subspecialty departments at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, including radiology, surgery and child life services, to provide coordinated, comprehensive and kid-friendly care.
Specialized care for children's medical emergencies
- Our team members are committed to working with children. Physicians and nurses have specialized training in pediatric emergency medicine
- Child life specialists, who are experts in child development, are on-site to help children and families cope with stress
- Sedation services are available to minimize anxiety, pain or discomfort for your child during medical or diagnostic procedures that may be uncomfortable or require them to lie very still
- Medical social workers are available 24 hours a day to help patients and families
- A pharmacist is on-site in the emergency department to provide medications for patients, check for any interactions between drugs and work with the rest of the medical team to choose appropriate treatments