Seeking Pediatrician Servicing Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge

Hi K. -

Oh to hit my 30's again, I was 39 when I had my first child and now he is 2 years old. I delivered at Lutheran General and had no clue how to find a good pediatrician, my girlfriend suggested hers and I have never regret it, she is absolutely wonderful..She is in the Children's Building at Lutheran and her name is Kristi Lundblad, the number is ###-###-####, like I said she is great, very down to earth, helpful and friendly, she is like a girlfriend when you go and she open on postponing and declining vaccines, which was great for me. Any questions just let me know.

C.

Hi-

My kids see Dr. Helen Arkema of Advocate Medical Group. They have offices on Milwaukee in Glenview, and in Buffalo Grove off of Lake Cook and 83. We've been happy with all of the pediatricians there, but try to avoid one because he does not seem sensitive to my children's sensory issues. They have walk-in hours M-F from 8-9am, and are open on Saturday at the Glenview office, as well as seeing kids who need to be seen on Sundays and holidays at the BG office. When I was expecting my first, we got a list of pediatricians and went and interviewed them before choosing. Most pediatricians expect this, and don't charge for it. One person's style or preference may be very different from another's.

We go to Lutheran too. I see Dr. Jaye Schreier. My husband is a resident there and the other doctors recommend the practice she is in. Some other doctors that they recommend from there are Dr. Belmonte and Dr. Unfer.
We just had our first one in Feb. of 07. Congrats!!

I also delivered at Lutheran General five years ago. At the time our pediatrician, Dr. Ryan McCoy, was affiliated with Lutheran General. I would highly recommend him to anyone seeking a pediatrician. He is knowledgeable, great with kids, and takes time to listen to parents. The best thing is that he has offices in Hoffman Estates near the intersection of Higgins and Barrington Road, so you wouldn't have to travel to Park Ridge for all of the first year appointments.

I have brought my daughter to Park Ridge Pediatrics since she was about a year old- she's now 4- and that is the practice that Dr. Hrycelak is part of. I hav seen her and a couple of other doctors there in the 3 years we have used them, and I have to say, I like all of them. I really wanted to find a doctor who listened and was available. I have never had a problem getting an appointment and stopped in on a Saturday morning for a flu shot for my daughter. I also love how they have a seperate "sick" waiting room, so infectious kids are sort of quarantined- well, at least not playing with all the same toys as the kids there for a check up. I highly recommend the whole practice.

Hi K.,

We LOVE Dr. Unfer at Lutheran General. We have 2 children, and she is our ped for both. She is always booked, so make your appt. with her way in advance! She is caring, patient and very knowledgeable. Good Luck with the new little one!

K., Welcome to Chicago! I hope you'll find that everyone is friendly and down-to-earth. I really liked two practices that were affiliated with and nearby Lutheran General:
Suburban Pediatrics on Greenwood in Niles ###-###-####) and
Advocate Medical Group General Pediatrics on Dempster in Park Ridge ###-###-####). I chose the latter because of the office hours, proximity to hospital services, and that you always saw the same doctor. I have Linda Vassmer but I really liked Frank Belmonte and Susan Crawford whom I met in the hospital. Why don't you schedule a prenatal visit with each to get a feel for each?

I live in the area and did a pretty thorough search (I also delivered at LGH). I take my son to Dr Patricia Stec (her partner is Dr Frank Roemisch). SUPER awesome! She is so down to earth, VERY patient with all of the questions. Encourages you to contact her anytime, for any reason. The nurses and office staff are great. HUGE selling point for me was that all calls/messages go straight through to the doctor...no nurse or receptionist playing middle-man. They are located in the professional building of LGH.

We moved to Chicago in the middle of my pregnancy with my daughter. Our pediatrician in Nebraska had a great idea. He said to call the pediatrics department at the hospital and ask the nurses who they would reccommend based on bedside manner, proficiency, etc. I did this when we moved for both my new OBGYN and pediatrician for my daughter and I haven't been dissapointed at all! Good luck!

HI K.,

I live in Park Ridge (actually, within walking distance of Lutheran General), and have used Parkside Pediatrics for the last 5 years (my girls are 6 and 4). Several of my friends recommended them when I was shopping for a new pediatrician, and we absolutely love them. The practice is located in the professional building attached to the hospital, and has 2 docs: Dr. Frank Roemisch and Dr. Patricia Cotsirilos Stec. Dr. Frank and Dr. Pat are both teriffic, and we love their philosophy and approach to childcare. EVERY time you call with a question, you speak directly to one of the docs. Nurses are not allowed to answer questions. Also, if you need to take your child to the emergency room (for something non-life threatening), you can call them first. Even if it is non office hours, if they happen to be in the hospital on rounds, they will try to meet you at their office, rather than have your child seen by unfamiliar docs in the emergency room. My girls love them both too, and are never afraid to go there; actually, they look forward to it (probably because they know they get a lollipop from the doc afterward!). If you are interested, their number is ###-###-####. The one thing they do not have is a separate waiting room for sick kids, which is a bummer. But we have never spent very much time in the waiting room anyway, and you can always wait in the hall if the waiting room makes you uncomfortable.

I hope this helps!

Hi K., as a child birth prep gal I want to put in a quick note encouraging you to check out some of the things you and your husband are searching for in a ped... so when you start to call these recommendations you get a terrific match - do you want someone who is a big proponent of breast feeding, or not so much? Are you looking for someone who is mainstream with regard to innoculations or someone who is a little more flexible with the schedule? (This one is important to know before you even give birth since if you are going to give shots Jr. will have had his first round even before going home.) Those are two sometimes big issues (especially for first time parents), but you can search the net for a whole slew of excellent questions to get you thinking and ensure that you are going to get a Doc you like. Also, a quick pitch for family practitioners - they have a big knowledge base too, can see the entire family at a single appointment(can be tuned in to any cold, flu, etc which the whole fam is getting), and tend to be less instinctively (by training) interventionist - if that is something you are trying to avoid. So maybe a family practice Doc is worth checking out too once you have the answers to your other questions. Good job asking these before you have your baby - clearly you are gearing up to be great and attentive parents! Congratulations!

K.,
I had my son at Lutheran and my OBGYN recommend a great doctor that she always uses for her kids. His name is Dr. Paul Goldstein and the number to the office is ###-###-#### and the address is 9669 Kenton Avenue,Skokie, IL 60076,. It's a small office but everyone there is great they always remember the kids which a think is welcoming.
Dr. Goldstein has a special place in my heart because my son is Autistic and he saw the signs very early and we were able to get help earlier. Now a year and a half later my son is doing a lot better and improving everyday due to the earlier intervention that Dr. Goldstein recommended.

Hope everything goes well with your delivery, Good Luck..

BTW, Lutheran is a GREAT hospital like I said I had my son there and the staff was wonderful. I was in a bad car accident last year and broke my femur and I was taken to Lutheran I was there for two weeks and I can't complain about anything or anyone, Also My father in law was diagnosed with cancer at Resurrection Hospital in the city over two years ago and they sent him home telling him that there was nothing they could do and that he any had three months too live. I took him to Lutheran and they started treatment and he live 2 more years.

Again I hope all goes well and good Luck. :-)

Hi K., A very good friend of mine is a pediatrician at Lutheran General. His name is Neil Graham MD. He is a great man and a thourough pediatrician. He also loves children and I have worked with him during his residency. Give him a try. I don't know what the practice name is.

Hi K.,
I have had a wonderful experience with my daughter's doctor at Lutheran. We go to Dr. Frank Belmonte at Yacktman Pavilion. (it's connected to the hospital) He is also a D.O. so his approach is bit more child centered in my opinion. My three year old loves him and he is so caring and wonderful. There are a lot of doctors in the practice so you might not see him for a sick appt but he has been wonderful to us. She also had a few medical scares when she was younger that required testing. It is wonderful to have the doctor right at the hospital because all you have to do is take the paperwork upstairs for bloodwork, ekg's, whatever. I cannot say enough about Dr. Belmonte. I have not had good doctor experiences myself so when I find a doctor that goes the extra mile I feel it is important to tell others about it. He truly listens to all of your concerns and does not treat you like the neurotic hormonal new mother. He is the best!! Hope this helps and welcome to the area!

S.