Covenant HealthCare Announces Covenant Children’s Hospital

Covenant HealthCare recently announced Covenant Children’s Hospital, marking a milestone for the health care system and its commitment to pediatric care.

Dr. Michael Fiore, Pediatric Intensivist and Medical Director of the Covenant Pediatric Intensive Care Unit states, “This marks a significant moment for our region, a moment that underscores our collective commitment to the well-being of the most vital resource for the future of the Great Lakes Bay Region – our children.”

Covenant has been providing and growing specialized services to women and children since its founding hospitals began in the late 1800s. Today, the care Covenant provides extends beyond children in Saginaw and the Great Lakes Bay Region, with families traveling from a 20-county region- including northeast Michigan and the Thumb. As a children’s hospital, Covenant teams work collaboratively, not competitively, with health care providers locally and throughout the state, with a shared commitment to ensuring healthcare for all children, from prevention to critical care. 

“We are proud to announce that Covenant HealthCare has been accepted into, and has joined, the Children’s Hospital Association,” shares Dr. Fiore. “This decision to align ourselves with the Children’s Hospital Association is a testament to our unyielding dedication to the health of our youngest patients. The Association’s Mission resonates deeply with our own values, as it centers on the belief that every child deserves access to the highest quality of healthcare.”

“We know that when it comes to health care, kids are different,” says Dr. Fiore. “Children need health care designed for their needs, acknowledging their physical, developmental, behavioral, and emotional differences. Health care that involves families in all stages of care and delivered by specially trained clinicians in environments designed just for kids.”

What is a Children’s Hospital? Dr. Fiore explains, “A Children’s Hospital is more than a building with colorful walls; rather it is an embodiment of the hearts and minds of all of us committed to the well-being of children. It is play therapy offered by a child life specialist, preparing a toddler for surgery; it is the skill of a pediatric nurse, holding and comforting an infant through a difficult IV start; it is the fierce advocacy of a dedicated pediatric social worker, ensuring a child’s best interests are always front and center. It is the skill of a resourceful respiratory therapist, understanding the varying needs of children from neonates to adolescents. It is the voice and ear of a compassionate physician, as they help a family navigate through a difficult medical journey. And it is a leadership team that acknowledges and supports the unique needs of providing healthcare to children. All of this, together, is what makes Covenant Children’s Hospital.”

Covenant Children’s Hospital, now the 7th Michigan Hospital to join the Children’s Hospital Association, is the northern most Children’s Hospital in the state.

“Together, we are beginning a new era in children’s healthcare, where not only will we provide extraordinary care for every generation, but now for future generations as well,” states Dr. Fiore.

About Covenant Children’s Hospital
Covenant has made a serious commitment to safeguarding children’s health. Covenant Children’s Hospital offers many specialized pediatric services and facilities, including:
• The region’s only Pediatric Emergency Care Center, part of a Level II Trauma Center verified for both adults and pediatrics
• The region’s only Level III Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (RNICU)
• The region’s only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) north of Flint
• A state-of-the-art Covenant Birth Center, delivering more than 3,000 babies each year
• A wide array of inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services for children, including the Center for Autism, through Mary Free Bed at Covenant
• Partnership with CMU College of Medicine Pediatric and Obstetrics & Gynecology Residency programs, through which future doctors are trained, current providers are engaged, and together support high-quality care in the region.
• Specialty clinical programs for children including pediatric surgery, pediatric neurology, sleep medicine, pediatric sedation, cardiology, and more with Covenant Medical Group and local providers.
• Access to the collective knowledge of more than 200 children’s hospitals through our membership in the Children’s Hospital Association.
Learn more at www.CovenantChildrensHospital.com 

About the Children's Hospital Association
Covenant HealthCare has been accepted for membership into the Children’s Hospital Association — the voice for more than 220 children’s hospitals and health systems. As champions for children’s health, children’s hospitals and health systems work together through the association to advance innovation in the quality, cost and delivery of care – better serving all children.  

“We welcome Covenant HealthCare to our national community,” said Mark Wietecha, Children’s Hospital Association CEO. “Our ability to transform children’s health for the better takes all of us working together and learning from each other for greater impact.”

Learn more at https://www.childrenshospitals.org/about-cha