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Staffed by a multidisciplinary team of highly trained physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and other healthcare professionals, pediatric intensive care units (PICU) across the country play an essential role in providing the highest level of care to critically ill infants, children and teenagers.

In the United States, an estimated 1.5 million severely ill or injured children are admitted to PICUs each year for specialized pediatric critical care services, including life-threatening respiratory illnesses, traumatic injuries and poisonings, chronic cardiac and neurological conditions and severe infections like sepsis, meningitis and pneumonia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On average, patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit remain hospitalized for four days, per the CDC, although the exact timing can vary based on the severity of the child’s condition and required interventions.

South Texas Health System Children’s, home to the largest PICU in the Rio Grande Valley with 14 beds, has been providing round-the-clock intensive care to pediatric patients from across the region since 2006. From life-sustaining treatments and complex procedures to intensive nursing and family-centered care, the facility admits thousands of critically ill and injured children of all ages each year with the support of dedicated pediatric intensivists with specialized training to care for the community’s critically ill and injured children admitted to the PICU.

In May 2024, Narendra Singh, MD, a pediatric specialist with more than 40 years of experience in the medical field, and his highly trained team of pediatric critical care specialists joined the STHS Children’s team, providing round-the-clock care to the Valley’s severely ill and injured children. “We understand that families in the Rio Grande Valley come from diverse backgrounds, and we make it a priority to respect and incorporate their cultural and religious practices into our care plans,” says Dr. Singh, who honed his critical skills at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Canada, and the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, selected as two of the world’s best specialized children’s hospitals in the world by Newsweek in 2024. “Over the years, we have built strong relationships with the community, which has helped us establish trust with parents and families. We’re committed to open, transparent and compassionate communication, ensuring that parents are well-informed and involved in every step of their child’s care.”

With decades of training and experience and an unyielding commitment to staying up to date on the latest medical advancements, Dr. Singh’s team of highly skilled pediatric intensivists work tirelessly to quickly and accurately diagnose and treat a wide range of critical conditions while integrating innovative treatments and technologies to provide the highest standard of care. “It’s an honor to welcome Dr. Singh – an esteemed pediatric care specialist respected by healthcare professionals and parents across the Valley – and his highly trained team members, who have an uncompromising dedication to helping severely ill and injured children heal,” says Lance Ames, Chief Executive Officer, STHS Children’s and STHS Edinburg. “Their experience, training and commitment to providing the highest level of critical care services will help ensure effective care for the littlest of patients in their time of need.”

Since opening its doors in March 2006 as the first-ever dedicated children’s hospital in the Rio Grande Valley, STHS Children’s has provided quality, compassionate care to more than 300,000 children from across the region, allowing parents to receive much-needed close-to-home pediatric healthcare services for their children, including trauma and critical care in the largest pediatric emergency department and pediatric intensive care unit in the four-county region. “It’s a testament to the trust and confidence that the community has in STHS Children’s,” says Dr. Singh. “One of the primary reasons I chose to join STHS Children’s is its unwavering commitment to excellence in patient care. The dedication of the staff to continually improve and provide the best possible outcomes for their patients is evident in everything they do. Being part of this legacy means contributing to the health and well-being of countless children and their families, which is both a profound responsibility and a source of immense pride.”