USA Health to expand pediatric emergency department, build free-standing surgery center

Plans for the renovated and expanded Pediatric Emergency Center at USA Health Children's & Women's Hospital call for more than doubling the space of the current pediatric emergency department.

USA Health received state approval on two projects that will enrich the education and training of students at the USA College of Medicine: the renovation and expansion of the Pediatric Emergency Center at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital and the construction of a free-standing surgery center in Baldwin County. 

Plans call for more than doubling the current pediatric emergency department from 9,000 square feet to nearly 19,000 square feet and expanding from 14 treatment areas to more than 30 areas, including 25 private treatment rooms. The project also will create two behavioral health rooms and a sensory room to enhance the care for patients with specialized needs.

Further, the space will provide enough room for parents and caregivers to be with their children to enhance the experience for young patients and their loved ones.

The expansion also will strengthen the educational and training opportunities of future healthcare providers including emergency medicine residents, medical students, nurses and nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other allied health professionals.

“This project will enable us to have state-of-the-art facilities that match the high-quality care that we uniquely provide to the children in our region,” said Owen Bailey, MHA, FACHE, chief executive officer of USA Health. “We are fortunate to have the only emergency room in the area dedicated to pediatric care, which means we also have the providers specifically trained in this area of medicine. Additionally, we have the opportunity to train future generations of care providers so that we can meet the emergent healthcare needs of children not only today, but well into the future.”

Construction on the Pediatric Emergency Center is scheduled to begin in early 2022 and finish in mid-2023. The initial estimated cost of the renovation, construction and equipment for the project is $15 million, with USA Health already having raised nearly $10 million through donations.

A rendering shows the ambulatory surgery center planned

for the Mapp Family Campus in Baldwin County. 

USA Health also gained state approval to build a free-standing ambulatory surgery center on the Mapp Family Campus in Baldwin County. The campus is located at the southeast corner of Alabama 181 and Alabama 104, just outside of Fairhope.

Services planned for the Mapp Family Campus include primary care, pediatric specialties, pulmonary medicine, gastroenterology, orthopaedic surgery, urology and more. Also, the campus will house a full range of imaging services, adding to the convenience for the people of Baldwin County.

“The entire project also allows us to train more members of the next generation of healthcare providers on not only some of the most sophisticated technology available in healthcare, but also in the interpersonal skills that are so important in providing high-quality care to our patients,” Bailey said.

Learn more:

Plans approved to expand Pediatric Emergency Center at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital

USA Health gains approval to build free-standing surgery center in Baldwin County

Faculty Spotlight: Glen M. Borchert, Ph.D.

Glen M. Borchert, Ph.D.

Academic title: Associate professor of pharmacology

Joined the USA College of Medicine faculty: Adjunct appointment in August 2014; primary appointment in August 2018. 

What does your position in the USA College of Medicine entail?
My position primarily is medical research. I have about 20 people in my lab, the Borchert laboratory. I also teach computational genomics.  

What is your favorite or most rewarding part of your position?
Making new discoveries. Some examples include:

• First-ever demonstration that a snoRNA-derived RNA (sdRNA) directly contributes to malignancy: In 2017, my group published work detailing the identification and characterization of a new type of small RNA disproportionately expressed in breast cancer tumor samples, and that this sdRNA directly promotes breast cancer cell invasion.
• Published major characterizations detailing large numbers of novel Salmonella small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) induced by stress: Nearly two-thirds of the 960 Salmonella sRNAs described to date were initially described in one of three reports by my group. In addition, these articles also present findings strongly suggesting sRNAs likely outnumber protein coding genes in bacteria.
• Described an entirely new DNA structure known as "G4 kissing": In 2020, my group described an entirely new DNA structure formed between complementary loops located in otherwise distinct genomic G4s. In addition to initially describing this complex new structure, this work also suggested "G4 kissing" helps mediate long-range genomic interactions between enhancer and promoter G4s as a means of coordinating gene expressions from multiple promoters associated with the common enhancer.

What research initiatives are you involved in?
Recently, my group has identified and is working to characterize small RNAs made up by SARS-CoV-2, potentially contributing to COVID-19 severity. We have also identified a new class of RNAs, secreted from human cells, that may conversely inhibit viral infections. 

In addition, my work has focused on describing noncoding RNA (ncRNA) regulations for over a decade. In 2014, I was named by the National Science Foundation Genetic Mechanisms program for work describing novel aspects of microRNA regulation. I have an established record of innovation in the field of noncoding RNAs. 

What is your advice for medical students?
Be sure to do some research in one of our labs. It can be extremely rewarding.

What are your hobbies/interests outside of work?
I have a wife and three daughters, ages 7, 10 and 13, and happily spend time outside of work with them.

Meet a Med Student: Raj Kondapally

Raj Kondapally

Age: 28

Class of: 2022

Hometown: Madison, Ala.

Undergrad/grad institution: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Cornell University

Degrees earned: Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering (UAB), Master of Engineering in biomedical engineering (Cornell)

Interests, hobbies: Fitness, martial arts, eating (I love trying new cuisines), watching movies and TV shows, playing board games and video games, coding, learning about new technology, traveling and meeting new people.

Something unique about me: The new Captain America (Anthony Mackie, not Chris Evans) called me out by my name once. I doubt he's going to recognize me again, but I'll take that one win.

Three of my favorite things: Exercising, ice cream (you'll be my best friend if you give me sweet cream ice cream with Oreos from Cold Stone Creamery) and traveling.

Med School Café to address eosinophilic esophagitis

Ananthasekar Ponnambalam, M.D., professor of pediatrics at the USA College of Medicine and a pediatric gastroenterologist with USA Health, will present “Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Children” at 11 a.m. Monday, June 21. The event will be held virtually via Zoom.

Ponnambalam will discuss the causes of eosinophilic esophagitis in children, as well as the diagnostic steps and current treatment options available.

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic immune system disease in which a type of white blood cell (eosinophil) builds up in the lining of the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach (esophagus). This buildup, which is typically a reaction to foods, allergens, or acid reflux, can inflame or injure the esophageal tissue. Damaged esophageal tissue can lead to difficulty swallowing or can cause food to get stuck when you swallow.

Identified in the 1990s, eosinophilic esophagitis is now considered a major cause of gastrointestinal illness.

To register for the lecture, visit https://usahealthsystem.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tcOyrpzkrHdQxrJg4JrKHwJIghJxdZVC9

Med School Café is a free community lecture series sponsored by USA Health. Each month, faculty and physicians share their expertise on a specific medical condition, providing insight on the latest treatments available.

For more information, contact Kim Partridge at kepartridge@health.southalabama.edu.