April 24, 2023

Now Available: Pediatric Patient Service Centers!


HNL Lab Medicine is thrilled to announce our new pediatric Patient Service Centers (PSCs). In partnership with Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, our pediatric services combine expertise and experience to optimize laboratory services for children.

All locations approved by Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital are recognized for their exemplary service to young patients. As part of this endorsement, phlebotomists at these locations have completed a pediatric specialization training program to learn technical, psychological, developmental, and experiential techniques to optimize the experience for our pediatric patients.
 



Pediatric Locations

Our first 5 pediatric locations are now accepting pediatric patients. While children of all ages are welcome at any HNL Lab Medicine Patient Service Center, our pediatric locations are specially equipped to provide a comfortable and unique experience for your child.


Find a pediatric location here using the new pediatric filter search tool. Check out our first 4 pediatric locations below:

  • Palmer Township
  • Whitehall
  • Fogelsville
  • Allentown – 1251 Cedar Crest

Keep your eye out! Additional pediatric locations will be added in the near future!
 



Pediatric Certification Program

HNL Lab Medicine has developed a pediatric certification program that emphasizes reducing stress, anxiety, and pain during procedures. The training helps phlebotomists perform a successful blood draw while calming pediatric patients and ensuring their safety.
“The new certification program is designed for patient comfort,” said Kristine Evans, Phlebotomy Manager. “We’ve specially created our curriculum to include techniques for emotionally preparing pediatric patients for their procedures, as well as more technical training to properly care for younger patients. The emphasis on empathy and compassion will be a very important factor for our pediatric population.”

Phlebotomists use their training and skills to determine what method of collection is safest for the patient based on age, size, tests ordered, and tubes needed for collection. The program also includes instruction on special considerations, such as physical or mental disabilities, religious and cultural beliefs, and overcoming language barriers.

“Building trust is necessary. Our phlebotomists work well together, have strong communication skills, and can adapt their support tools to assist both the patient and their parent or guardian during the collection process. In addition to ensuring properly trained staff, our new draw sites have rooms specifically designed for pediatric patients.”
 



The Pediatric Experience

The pediatric draw rooms have been redesigned with children in mind. Each room is equipped with pediatric furniture to enhance their experience and a smart TV that displays child-friendly content to help keep our pediatric patients’ attention off of the procedure. Additionally, the décor will include children’s artwork from the winners of HNL Lab Medicine’s annual art contest. At the end of each visit, children will take home a small prize for completing their lab work.

“We want to reduce the anxiety and burden of lab work for parents and guardians and their children,” said Evans. We know that lab work is often the first step to improved health, so the more we can reduce anxiety and provide a pleasant experience, the easier it will be to get families to check lab work off of their to do lists.”

HNL Lab Medicine is committed to providing the best possible laboratory experience for our patients. The new pediatric draw rooms complement an already superb focus on customer service. Along with our skilled phlebotomists and recent Patient Service Center redesigns, our pediatric focused PSCs offer an additional way for HNL Lab Medicine to tailor our services to our patients’ needs. Find a pediatric location near you.