I’m a concerned mom of two boys. My children have had poor experiences at our local hospital, and I would like to see change and improvement for our children. Heritage Valley Health Systems located in Beaver, Pennsylvania closed their pediatric ward some years back. Their emergency room department does not specialize in pediatric care. They do not have a pediatric plan for patients or their families. They are not properly equipped to handle pediatric cases. My son has had two poor experiences in which both resulted in traveling an hour to Children’s Hospital UPMC in Pittsburgh for proper care. Heritage Valley Health Systems needs to reopen the pediatric ward at the hospital to provide proper care for local children in our community. At the very least, HVHS should have a doctor and nurse on site to evaluate children, especially for children ages 12 and under. Evaluating and caring for children requires expertise and specialized training. There are many skilled doctors and nurses at HVHS, however, that does not make them highly qualified to handle pediatric cases. We can do better!