Pediatric Emergency Services

For immediate care, please call 911.

For poison information, please call (800) 222-1222.

Every year, the region's only fully staffed pediatric Emergency Department at Le Bonheur serves more than 70,000 sick and injured children making us one of the Top 10 Busiest Pediatric Emergency Departments in the United States. These patients comprise 60 percent of all children admitted to our hospital. All equipment in our Emergency Department is specifically designed to meet the needs of each infant, toddler, child and teen. Our physicians and nurses have received special extended training in treating children in traumas. 

The Emergency Department team includes:

• A pediatric trauma team
• 24-hour phone consultation services for referring physicians and area healthcare providers
• 24-hour accessibility to more than 150 pediatric medical and surgical specialists at Le Bonheur

American College of Surgeons Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center

Le Bonheur Children’s is designated as a Level 1 pediatric trauma center by the American College of Surgeons. This accreditation is a national designation that requires both high quality clinical care and research in the field of trauma with continued innovation. The ACS Committee on Trauma's verification program confirmed that Le Bonheur has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients. Le Bonheur is the only accredited pediatric ACS Level 1 trauma center within a 400 mile radius and one of only 33 in the country. Le Bonheur is also designated as a children’s trauma center on the state level in Tennessee and Arkansas.

Le Bonheur provides 24-hour coverage by physicians who are board certified in pediatric emergency medicine, and also serves as the regional referral center for a five-state area - Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri and Kentucky - for the specialized care of pediatric patients. Le Bonheur also serves as the consulting children's hospital for all of west Tennessee, training nurses, therapists, physicians, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, pharmacists and even parents in life-saving measures to ensure that children will receive the best medical care possible in emergency situations.

Many times a trip to the emergency room is a very traumatic experience mentally for a child. We staff our emergency department with Child Life Specialists who are specially trained to help alleviate the fear and nervousness related to trips to the emergency department.