Emergency and hospital care made for kids! Pediatric Combined Unit

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Our Pediatric Combined Unit is situated in Johns Hopkins Bayview's recently built North Pavillion, with an entire floor dedicated to kids. We put Pediatric Emergency care side-to-side with inpatient hospital rooms to meet a wide range of illness severity in a child-centered environment.

Care on our unit is provided by Johns Hopkins pediatric providers and pediatric nurses 24/7. Our goal is to maximize quality care and comfort for children and young adults.

Our Services

We take care of children suffering from:

  • Fever / infection
  • Injuries including head injuries, bone injuries and wounds
  • Breathing problems including asthma
  • Abdominal pain

  • Dehydration, vomiting and diarrhea
  • Seizures 
  • Foreign bodies
  • Mental health crisis

The Pediatric Combined Unit offers:

  • A waiting room dedicated to pediatric patients and their families
  • A Child Life specialist working to reduce the stress of illness and treatment
  • In-person Spanish interpreters most of the day and night, and virtual interpreters for other languages 24/7

  • Private inpatient rooms with private bathrooms and close proximity to staff
  • A commitment to open and consistent communication with community providers

We have access to Johns Hopkins specialists for consultation regarding your child’s care.

Pediatric waiting room

Getting Here

Enter the Johns Hopkins Bayview campus from Lombard Street or Eastern Avenue, then follow the signs for EMERGENCY.

Parking: families can park in the "mid-campus" parking lot, in front of the main Emergency entrance.

Bus routes: CityLink Blue, CityLink Orange, or Route 22 stop at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

Referring Providers

Referring to ER from primary care/urgent care: Call our unit at 410-550-0301 anytime day or night to discuss patients or inform staff of patients coming in for emergency services. Please note that the designated Pediatric Burn Center is Johns Hopkins Children’s Center at 1800 Orleans St.

Referring for admission from outside hospitals: Call Hopkins Access Line (HAL) at 410-550-9444 to arrange direct admission.

Physicians and Staff

  • Charles Nicholas Cuneo, M.D., M.P.H.

    • Medical Director, HEAL Refugee Health and Asylum Collaborative

    Expertise: Internal Medicine, Pediatrics

    Primary Location: Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, MD

  • Alejandra Ellison-Barnes, M.D., M.P.H.

    Primary Location: Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center (now called Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D., Outpatient Center), Baltimore, MD

  • Amanda Kathleen Sherman, M.D.

    Expertise: Internal Medicine, Pediatrics

    Primary Location: Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, MD

  • Salwa Khan, M.D., M.H.S.

    Expertise: Pediatric Emergency Medicine

    Primary Location: The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Main Entrance), Baltimore, MD

  • Whitney Nicolle Okoroafor, M.D.

    Expertise: Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics

    Primary Location: Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, MD

  • Margaret Dowling Sarezky, M.D.

    • Medical Director, Newborn Nursery at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

    Expertise: Pediatrics

    Primary Location: Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, MD

  • Rosalyn Walker Stewart, M.D., M.B.A., M.S.

    • Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
    • Director, Johns Hopkins After Care Clinic, Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center
    • Director, Johns Hopkins Hospital Comprehensive Substance Use Consolation Service
    • Clinical Director, Division of Addiction Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital
    • Medical Director, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Department of Care Coordination and Clinical Resource Management

    Expertise: Addiction Medicine, Inpatient Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics

    Primary Location: Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center (now called Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D., Outpatient Center), Baltimore, MD

Curry, Mary (Ceal)

Child Life Specialist

Ceal Curry earned a bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation from Virginia Common Wealth Univeristy and began her career at Kennedy Krieger before coming to Johns Hopkins Bayview as the child life coordinator in 1981. Ceal works with patients, families and the community at large including as the director of Camp Superkids. She is proudest of the collaboration and teamwork that the department relies on to support the needs of its patients.

Ceal has an interest in patients with neuropsychiatric problems and has been an integral part of improving the care of these patients in the Medical Center’s pediatric unit.

Ceal Curry headshot

Harrow, Cheryl, CRNP

Nurse Practitioner

Cheryl Harrow, CRNP, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. She earned a master's degree and a doctorate in nursing practice at the University of Maryland. Cheryl began her nursing career at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (then Baltimore City Hospitals) more than 30 years ago in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Cheryl has worked in all areas of maternal child health and is an internationally board-certified lactation consultant, certified in low-risk neonatal nursing. She is also a CPR Instructor.

Harrow, Cheryl, CRNP headshot

Kennedy, Jennifer, PA-C, MS

Physician Assistant

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Jennifer Kennedy, PA-C, MS, earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at the University of Maryland, College Park. She earned a master's in physician assistant sciences from the Towson/Essex PA Program in 2009, joining the Johns Hopkins Bayview pediatric hospitalist group in 2010.

Jennifer works in the newborn nursery, pediatric inpatient floor and pediatric emergency department. In 2012, she received several awards for patient safety for notifying the Baltimore City Health Department about an unapproved/unregulated medication that several of her patients were using, called Baczol.

 Kennedy, Jennifer, PA-C, MS headshot

McHargue, Lisa, CRNP

Nurse Practitioner

Lisa McHargue, CRNP, began nursing in high school as a licensed practical nurse. She earned a nursing degree, as well as neonatal nurse practitioner certification at Georgetown University. She completed a master's degree at University of Maryland in 1998.

Lisa has worked with neonates since 1986. She began working in the NICU at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in 1989, and transferred to the newborn nursery in 2006. She is fascinated by the science of human physiology, especially the prenatal and early postnatal development of the body. She believes prevention and holistic approach to health are paramount to well-being. She enjoys Johns Hopkins Bayview because of the people she works with. "They're like family to me."

McHargue, Lisa, CRNP headshot

Marissa Roberts PA-C, MPAS

Physician Assistant

Marissa Roberts graduated with Bachelor’s Degrees in Biology and Psychology from the University of Arizona (Bear Down!). She then went on to complete her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) from the University of Charleston in Charleston, West Virginia. Her love for pediatrics brought her to Bayview Medical Center to work in the Pediatric combined unit specializing in pediatric emergency medicine, pediatric inpatient medicine, and the newborn nursery. She has a passion for giving back to her community, and when she is not working, she enjoys volunteering with Maryland Therapeutic Riding (MTR) and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

Marissa Roberts PA-C, MPAS default headshot

Watters, Amber, PA-C, MMS

Physician Assistant

Amber Watters, PA-C, MMS, completed physician assistant training and earned a master's in medical science in 2006. It was then that she began her career at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. “I love working with the staff. We are one big happy family. The patients are refreshing, and it's nice to able to help children (and their parents) feel better.”

Watters, Amber, PA-C, MMS

Events and Awards

  • 2022: Dr Nicholas Cuneo named "Champion of the Year" by the Human Trafficking Legal Center
  • 2022 Employee service awards: Ceal Curry for serving as the only Child Life Therapist at Bayview for over 40 years; Christine Mitchell for working with pediatric patients in the inpatient unit for over 35 years