Deaconess Medical Center and Shriners Hospital for Children-Spokane are studying the idea of creating a joint childrens hospital, although little is being said publicly about what such a venture would entail.


We have been in preliminary discussions with Shriners, and were looking at ways to enhance services to children in the community, says Janice Marich, a spokeswoman for Empire Health Services, which owns and operates Deaconess.


Marich says the discussions have been under way for some time, and the idea still is evolving. She declines to provide any specifics about the discussions.


Theres nothing concrete that we can say right now, Marich says.


Maggie Crabtree, a spokeswoman for Shriners Hospital here, says Shriners has been building a relationship with Deaconess ever since it moved across the street from the Deaconess complex in 1991. Crabtree says that the two hospitals have looked at other ways to collaborate. For instance, Shriners doesnt have an emergency room and buys emergency-care services from Deaconess through a collaborative agreement.


These current discussions are just a natural progression of other ways we can collaborate to better serve children in this area, Crabtree says. She echoes Marichs caution that the discussions are preliminary, but adds that officials from Shriners Tampa, Fla.-based headquarters now have entered into the discussions.


Crabtree declines to disclose specifics about the discussions, but says that any agreement wouldnt include a merging of the two hospitals.


Spokanes largest hospital, Sacred Heart Medical Center, meanwhile, said in November that it has developed tentative plans to create a childrens hospital that would occupy part of a major west-addition expansion at its South Hill complex. Sacred Heart said it expected its childrens hospital to occupy the top two floors of the planned addition and all of the main hospital buildings third floor.


The space in the new addition would house strictly outpatient services such as specialty pediatric clinics and doctors offices, while Sacred Hearts current inpatient pediatric and pediatric intensive-care units on the medical centers third floor would remain where they are. Sacred Heart said its considering connecting the two areas to provide physical continuity between the outpatient and inpatient services.


Shriners is a 30-bed hospital that treats patients who range in age from newborn to 18 years old and who have spinal disorders and orthopedic conditions. The hospital here also assists in burn-scar reconstruction for children. Deaconess is a 388-bed, full-service hospital that offers, among other things, pediatric care.