St. Francis conference takes aim at respiratory ailments in children

INDIANAPOLIS – Medical staff at St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers will lead presentations at an upcoming conference focused on respiratory care for newborns and youngsters.

The Pediatric and Neonatal Respiratory Conference gets under way Thursday, Oct. 30, in Classrooms I and II at St. Francis Hospital, 8111 S. Emerson Ave. The meeting brings together area physicians, respiratory therapists and nurses, who will discuss various topics such as pediatric airway emergencies, environmental contaminants affecting pregnancies and childhood development, and respiratory care trends in neonatal intensive care units.

Among the presenters is Paul Winchester, M.D., medical director of St. Francis’ NICU and professor of clinical pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Winchester is internationally recognized as an expert on the effects of environmental hazards on premature births and birth defects.

Experts from Cleveland Clinic, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Nationwide Children’s Hospital at The Ohio State University, IU School of Medicine and Emergency Physicians of Indianapolis also will participate.

The day-long conference, sponsored by St. Francis’ Respiratory Department, offers continuing education credits from the American Association for Respiratory Care, and the Indiana State Nursing Association.

For information or to register, call 317-851-1920 or 317-851-1911, or e-mail Julie.gould@ssfhs.org or stacy.wilder@ssfhs.org.

More information about the conference can be found at www.in-isrc.org/calendar.html.