Allycia Sindorf, mother of 3-year-old Mackenzie, could not have been more satisfied with the efficiency and quality of her daughter’s care at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Born with a genetic disorder that required abdominal surgery, Mackenzie was referred by Kennedy Krieger Institute physicians to pediatric surgeon Alejandro Garcia.

“We had an awesome experience — she had the operation on a Tuesday, stayed two nights and was released on a Thursday,” says Sindorf. “I couldn’t imagine a better way it could go — he made it as good as possible.”

Lisa Hess, mother of 8-month-old Anderson, who underwent two open-heart surgeries after birth and spent seven months in the pediatric ICU, strikes a similar chord regarding his care. “One of the things about Johns Hopkins, it is pretty earth shattering to have people who genuinely care about him. It’s so appreciated.”

Following their hospital stays, however, both Sindorf and Hess wondered how they would manage the repetitive long commute to multiple Johns Hopkins pediatric subspecialists for the ongoing follow-up care required for children with complex conditions. Sindorf lives in Stevensville on Maryland’s rural Eastern Shore, 46 miles from the Children’s Center, and Hess 90 miles south in California, Maryland. Then the two mothers learned that the Children’s Center had opened a new remote location for its pediatric subspecialists on Bestgate Road in Annapolis, significantly less than their driving distance to Baltimore.

“This is big time more convenient — it takes 15 minutes to get here as opposed to 45 minutes to Baltimore,” says Sindorf. “Coming home from Baltimore is the real problem — any time after 3 p.m. you’re going to hit heavy traffic.”
 

“Part of why I like going to Annapolis is seeing multiple disciplines like cardiology, GI (gastroenterology) and pulmonary without having to make long trips to Baltimore,” adds Hess. In addition to easy access and free parking, the Bestgate Road clinic offers other advantages to distant patients and their families, notes Cheryl Camm, Johns Hopkins operations manager for pediatric outreach. The clinic replaces the Johns Hopkins pediatric clinic at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC), which was also accessible but limited by only 1,200 square feet compared with over 2,000 square feet on Bestgate Road.

“There was more patient interest than the space allowed,” says Camm. “We were pigeonholed by only three exam rooms and could not handle any more providers.”

With six exam rooms at Bestgate, seven subspecialties rotate through the clinic compared with three at AAMC, making scheduling more flexible and faster. That’s a favorable factor for both the physicians and patient families, says Camm.

“We can also do a lot of self-referrals here, saving the moms from the hassle of calling the scheduling office,” says Camm.

Also, in a space that is not as busy as the pediatric subspecialty clinic in Baltimore, physicians from different disciplines who overlap on the care of a particular patient have the ability to see that patient collaboratively.

“The space allows us to combine subspecialties at the same time,” says pediatric nephrologist Jeffrey Fadrowski. “For example, I can buddy up with Heather Di Carlo in pediatric urology because we share a lot of cases, which is not easy to do in our busy ambulatory care space on campus.”

So, the doctors also like the space. The only downside for them might be the extra driving. 

“If it’s easier for the families, it’s worth the drive,” says Fadrowski. “I want Annapolis to be successful.”

So do the patients and their families.

Pediatric subspecialties at the Annapolis clinic include cardiology, general surgery, gastroenterology, nephrology, neurology, plastic and reconstructive surgery, pulmonology and urology. The clinic is located at 820 Bestgate Road, Suite 2D, Annapolis, Maryland 21401. Phone: 443-997-5437.