Children in Klamath Falls will soon be heading to a magical castle for their health care needs.

Sanford Health, a health system based in South Dakota, has announced the establishment of a new Sanford Children's Clinic in the Oregonian community. The clinic will look and feel like the Sanford Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD, which resembles a castle right out of a children's fairytale.

Sanford clinics "are built with the thought process that an inviting environment for children will help them when they need health care services," Ruth Krystopolski, executive vice president of development and research for Sanford Health, told DOTmed News. "It looks like a castle and the interior decorations also support that theme."
The clinic's location was chosen because of its particular need in the geographically isolated area, said Krystopolski. Klamath Falls has been struggling with physician recruitment for the last couple of years. The community has had pediatric services since the 1970s but the demographics of its pediatricians are changing.

"Several of the individuals who went there in the '70s and were recruited in the early '80s are approaching retirement," said Krystopolski. "Our hope was that by bringing them, and then some newly recruited physicians on board, Klamath Falls would be able to continue to have pediatric services in the future."

Children treated at the Sanford Children's Clinic in Klamath Falls will have access to expert opinion and a number of pediatric sub-specialists in other medical facilities, such as the Sanford Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls and the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. The new clinic will also be enabled with teleconferencing and video capabilities for pediatricians to interact with colleagues in other facilities, said Krystopolski.

The health system is also working with Sky Lakes Medical Center, the region's largest hospital, from a development standpoint and the integration of outpatient care services, said Krystopolski. Sky Lakes Medical Center is facilitating the acquisition of the land needed for the clinic.

Sky Lakes Medical Center is a part of TEAM Klamath, a private and local partnership of groups focused on developing services for the community. It also includes government officials, representatives of local businesses and individuals from the economic development division.

"The TEAM Klamath group representing a broad base of the community was instrumental in making sure that we understood the need there and they've been involved in the development process along the way," said Krystopolski. "They're pleased that pediatrics services will continue to be offered in their community and have been very positive in making sure that we can move the process forward."

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Sanford Children's Clinic will take place September 9, 2010 in Klamath Falls. The clinic will open its doors in 2012 and include approximately 9,000 square feet under its roof.

Sanford Health also announced its plans to build a children's clinic in Dublin, Ireland.

For an in depth look at children's hospitals, read this report, published in the January issue of DOTmed Business News.

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