Today, ChildKind announced that Dell Children’s Medical Center has been ChildKind Certified. Dell Children’s is the first pediatric hospital in the state of Texas to receive the certification and is only one of 20 hospitals in the world to earn this distinction. Dell Children’s spent several years strategically planning and investing in a comprehensive pain management culture which led to the recognition from ChildKind. Dell Children’s Medical Center plans on continuing to invest and improve upon the latest technology and best practices for pediatric pain management.
“Achieving Childkind Certified status is a direct result of the dedication of all of our doctors, nurses and staff to provide our patients with world-class care,“ said Dell Children’s Medical Center President, Adam Messer. “Needing healthcare can be a stressful experience for kids and families, this ChildKind designation illustrates the commitment of all Dell Children's caregivers in making this experience as comfortable and pain free as possible.
Being recognized as ChildKind Certified shows an institutional commitment to reducing pain in children by showing evidence of meeting the Five Principles of ChildKind which include the following:
- Principle 1: An institutional commitment to pain prevention, assessment, and treatment.
- Principle 2: Ongoing education programs and awareness initiatives on pain for staff, trainees, patients and any of their caregivers.
- Principle 3: Use of evidence-informed, developmentally appropriate processes for assessment of acute and chronic pain.
- Principle 4: Specific evidence-informed protocols for pain prevention and treatment including pharmacological, psychological, and physical methods.
- Principle 5: Regular institutional self-monitoring within the framework of continuous quality improvement.
Dell Children's is nationally ranked in behavioral health, cardiology and heart surgery, neonatology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics and pulmonology by the U.S. News & World Report 2024-25. As a Level I Trauma Center, Dell Children's provides the highest quality and most comprehensive emergency trauma care for critically injured children and adolescents in our region.
About Dell Children’s Medical Center
Dell Children’s Medical Center is the region’s only comprehensive children’s hospital and pediatric Level I trauma center. It is also Austin’s original children’s hospital that was established through the efforts of local pediatricians and has continuously maintained a focus to provide the best care available to Central Texas children. The collaboration with Dell Medical School at the University of Texas has fueled the growth of top-tier pediatric programs such as The Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease. This program is comprised of physicians and advanced practitioners employed by Dell Medical School and physicians, nurses and support staff employed by Dell Children’s Medical Center. This group, when combined, totals almost 400 healthcare professionals dedicated to the care of the most vulnerable children and is a testament to the success of the partnership between Dell Medical School and Dell Children’s Medical Center. This partnership allows not only for development of the highest level of care available in Central Texas but also creates an environment that advances the available treatments used to care for children. Visit www.dellchildrens.net.
About Ascension Texas
In Texas, Ascension operates Ascension Providence in Waco and Ascension Seton, which includes Dell Children’s Medical Center, the region’s only comprehensive children’s hospital and pediatric Level I trauma center, and Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas, the region’s only Level I trauma center for adults. Ascension Seton partners with Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin and shares a common vision of transforming healthcare through a focus on quality and value. Serving Texas for more than 120 years, Ascension is one of the nation’s leading non-profit and Catholic health systems, with a Mission of delivering compassionate, personalized care to all with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In FY2024, Ascension provided $2.1 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Across 17 states and the District of Columbia, Ascension’s network encompasses approximately 128,000 associates, 33,000 affiliated providers, 118 wholly owned or consolidated hospitals, and 34 senior living facilities. Additionally, through strategic partnerships, Ascension holds an ownership interest in 16 other hospitals. Visit www.ascension.org and www.dellchildrens.net.
About ChildKind International: Formed in 2012 by leading experts in the pediatric pain care field, ChildKind International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to impacting how healthcare institutions address pediatric pain management so that no child experiences unnecessary suffering. We accomplish this by helping healthcare institutions identify gaps in the pain care they provide, offering support to address those gaps, and certifying institutions using the highest quality of pediatric pain care. ChildKind maintains an open-access Resource Library of guidelines, procedures, and family support materials. We promote a collaborative network among clinicians by hosting ongoing educational forums to provide guidance, discuss strategies, and share experiences. For more information, please visit www.childkindinternational.org.
