Northern Nevada Sierra Medical Center Now Offers Pediatric Inpatient Care

Northern Nevada Sierra Medical Center (SMC) has announced its new pediatric inpatient care unit, providing infants, children, adolescents and teens with local comprehensive medical care.  The new unit will be led by pediatric and NICU medical director Jennifer Achilles, MD and staffed by board-certified pediatric providers.

“As we have experienced an increase in respiratory viruses among the pediatric population, we know how important it is to expand our scope of services by opening a pediatrics unit,” said Jennifer Achilles, MD, pediatrics and NICU medical director at Northern Nevada Sierra Medical Center. “Local families can find comfort that they can access care a short drive from home, with the area’s foremost experts.”

When a child is hospitalized, their care team may include board-certified emergency medicine providers, pediatric hospitalists, pediatric nurses, respiratory therapists, and other specialists. The unit can treat common pediatric conditions such as respiratory distress, dehydration, allergic reactions, gastrointestinal concerns, infections, pain and more.

In addition, the care team at SMC works collaboratively with parents to ensure they understand treatment options, and at-home care instructions. Upon leaving the hospital, the pediatric nursing team will communicate with the patient’s pediatrician to establish follow-up care beyond the hospital setting.

Leading the new pediatric unit and soon-to-open NICU level II is Jennifer Achilles, MD, medical director. She brings more than 15 years of experience to our hospital in her new role where she will provide clinical leadership to the NICU and pediatric departments. Dr. Achilles graduated from the University of Utah School of Medicine and followed with pediatric residency at both the University of New Mexico and the University of San Diego. Her decades-long experience treating neonatal and inpatient pediatric patients began at Kaiser in San Diego, and led to roles in Colorado, Washington, New Mexico and California. Dr. Achilles is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics.

Respiratory Distress

If your child is experiencing the following respiratory symptoms, seek care at the nearest emergency department or call 9-1-1. Symptoms include rapid breathing, wheezing or grunting, sweating, lethargy, irritability, sinking of the chest, color change in the lips and skin indicating low oxygen levels, or flaring of the nostrils. Additionally, symptoms indicative of RSV include runny nose, decrease in appetite, coughing, sneezing, fever and wheezing.