Augusta University Health Expands Pediatric Services

Augusta University Health expanded its pediatric specialty clinics this fall, adding pediatric endocrinology, pulmonology, and gastroenterology appointment slots after years of families reporting long wait times or having to travel to Atlanta for specialist care.

The expansion adds four additional specialist physicians and extends clinic hours into evenings twice a week, a schedule change hospital officials say was requested repeatedly by working parents unable to take time off during standard business hours for their children's specialist appointments.

"Families were telling us they'd wait two or three months for a pediatric endocrinology appointment, or they'd just drive to Atlanta because it was faster," said Augusta University Health's Chief of Pediatrics. "That's not acceptable for a hospital that's supposed to be the region's dedicated children's health resource."

Augusta University Health draws pediatric patients from across the Central Savannah River Area, including parts of South Carolina. Hospital administrators say specialist wait times had grown steadily over the past several years even as the overall regional pediatric population increased.

The health system says it plans to add a fifth specialty, pediatric rheumatology, by the end of next year, pending recruitment of a qualified physician willing to relocate to the Augusta area.