Maimonides Children’s Hospital: Brooklyn’s Only Children’s Emergency Department Is Getting Bigger — and Better
Brooklyn families will soon have a little extra peace of mind regarding their children’s health. This fall, the borough’s only dedicated children’s Emergency Department will debut its newly renovated and expanded facilities, created to better support the health needs of Brooklyn’s 630,000 children.
Although parents have been bringing their children to Maimonides for emergency care for 45 years, this project promises a significant upgrade in the hospital’s standard of care, which was already considered among the best in the country. The new facility is entirely separate from the adult emergency department and, at 18,650 square feet, boasts four times the area of the previous department. This translates to 34 treatment rooms, as well as resuscitation, triage, and imaging capabilities — including x-ray, ultrasound, and CT — for rapid diagnosis and treatment of emergent illnesses and trauma.
Dr. Eitan Dickman is Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Maimonides Health and is justifiably proud of the expanded facilities. “We now have a beautiful new space to match the high level of clinical care our diligent, caring staff offers every family who brings their children in for emergency care.”
Psst… Check Out 2025 Guide to NYC Neighborhoods: Brooklyn
Setting the Standard of Children’s Emergency Care
Why does this matter? It’s simple. Children have different medical needs than grown-ups. “Kids aren’t just little adults,” says Dr. Jeffrey Avner, chairman of Pediatrics at the Maimonides Children’s Hospital. “Their anatomy, physiology, cognitive abilities, and psychology are different, so they require trained pediatric specialists who can evaluate their medical issues and explain what is happening to their bodies while listening to and addressing their concerns.”
Those needs have been at the forefront of the design of this new facility. “We’ve taken great care to make sure this new space is welcoming to children,” says Dr. Alex Arroyo, director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine for Maimonides. “We wanted a visually engaging space, with bright colors and interactive art. While kids wait, they can use the iPads available to watch educational programming or videos explaining the procedures they may encounter at their visit, such as x-rays or sutures.”
Dr. Dickman points out that the expanded unit will offer patients an unprecedented degree of privacy. “Now, everyone who comes in will be examined in a room of their own,” he says, which was not always the case in the previous emergency department.
What will remain constant is the excellence of the attending staff at Maimonides. “Our staff is curated to be top-notch,” says Dr. Arroyo. “We have 11 attending physicians and train the next generation of emergency pediatricians with our fellowship program, which has been active for over 15 years.” In addition, the department is supported by more than 30 pediatric and surgical subspecialties and can draw on the resources of all of Maimonides’s facilities.
What’s more, Maimonides Children’s Hospital Emergency Department is one of only 13 trauma centers in New York State and 64 nationwide—and the only pediatric trauma center in Brooklyn. That means that when a child suffers a severe, life-threatening injury, they will be taken there because of the experienced specialists and facilities available. Not only is that good news for Brooklyn families, it’s important to the millions of families with children who visit and pass through the borough’s many streets and freeways.
The Maimonides Children’s Hospital doesn’t just focus on treating sick and injured kids—it also prioritizes supporting the parents who bring them in. Families can pre-register with the Emergency Department before they arrive by using the department’s pre-arrival registration form, giving medical teams a head start in preparing for each child’s arrival. And because Brooklyn is home to children from across the globe, the pediatric emergency department offers round-the-clock translation services to ensure every parent can communicate clearly and confidently.
Maimonides’ expanded Children’s Emergency Department will channel workflow more efficiently by dividing cases into low— and high-acuity zones so that all patients will be assessed and their issues treated as quickly as possible. After their initial assessment and treatment, if any, patients and their families will be taken to a lounge-like waiting area, where they can wait in comfortable seating until they’re either admitted or released.
The team works hard to make every visit as calm and reassuring as possible. And while no parent wants to spend time in the ER, it’s comforting to know that with Maimonides Children’s Hospital’s newly expanded facilities, Brooklyn families have a trusted place close to home for world-class pediatric care.
Psst… Check Out Things to Do with the Kids This Weekend in Brooklyn!
