The Nemours Foundation

Dr. G and staff in pulmonology are always pleasant and great with kids. They got us in right away and listened to what we had to say. I definitely recommend!

We always get the best care with Dr. Matthew Steiner & his staff. Dr. Steiner always goes into details of Kason’s diagnosis & makes sure to explain in layman’s terms so I can understand; his staff have always been kind, courteous, & friendly to us.

First time we were ever going to the nemours children's health, and we had a good experience and learned something new also. I would recommend anyone with their children/child to go to this specialist hospital for your kids special needs of sickness.

I was honestly very impressed with this Nemours office. There was virtually no wait, the nurses were wonderful, and Dr. Kauffman was amazing. She took the time to explain things to us in a way that my child could also understand and it never felt rushed. I am beyond grateful for their care!

We are extremely disappointed with the care our daughter received through children’s neurology at Nemours in Pensacola and Studer Family Children's Hospital. We initially brought our daughter to the ER where an EEG was performed and infantile spasms were identified. She was started on prednisolone, and we began a treatment plan. During the weaning process, her spasms returned, and we brought her back to the ER. At that time, her steroid dose was increased again. Shortly after, we were evaluated by a neurologist who was brought in from out of state (as there is no in-house pediatric neurologist at this hospital). Despite her prior diagnosis and clear clinical presentation, they determined that the original diagnosis of infantile spasms was incorrect and instead classified her events as seizures. She was started on seizure medication and we were discharged with instructions to wean off prednisolone and continue only the seizure medication. Within a few days of starting the wean, her spasms returned again, unchanged and clearly consistent with her original presentation. We contacted the team to report this, and at that point we were told the case was too complex and were advised to go to UF Health in Gainesville. At UF Health, her EEG was reviewed and infantile spasms were confirmed. The seizure medication had no effect on her events. This experience was incredibly difficult, not only because of the misclassification of her condition, but because of the time lost in treating a time-sensitive neurological disorder. Infantile spasms require prompt and appropriate management, and delays matter. We also have serious concerns about the structure of care at this location. There is no in-house pediatric neurologist, yet children with serious neurological conditions are being evaluated and managed there. That is something parents deserve to know upfront. This review is not written out of anger, but out of serious sincere concern for other families. If your child is experiencing a serious neurological issue, especially something as urgent as infantile spasms, we strongly recommend seeking care at a higher-level center such as UF Health in Gainesville from the start. We are grateful that UF Health provided clarity and appropriate direction. We only wish we had gone there sooner.