The Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters is opening a new children’s health center in Suffolk, which could be good news for parents who have had to travel outside the city for things like X-rays and blood work.

Located in Applewood Office Park at 152 Burnetts Way — near Sentara Obici Hospital — the center will offer Suffolk’s only dedicated pediatric lab and X-ray services.

“A lot of our patients that order X-rays often have to take them to CHKD so those films can be read by pediatric radiologists,” said pediatrician Laura Leverone of Suffolk Pediatrics.

Saying the results will now be available on a computer network, she added, “We will have available to us radiologists to be able to look at the films digitally.”

Taking X-rays of and performing blood work on children as opposed to adults is a specialization in its own right, according to Leverone.

She said center staff would have expertise and equipment to “deal with kids and calm them down, and help parents and alleviate their concerns.”

Kids are always growing, she said, and this presents special considerations for medical technicians.

“Most of them have been doing that (dealing with children) for a long time, and have also been drawing blood on little kids and little veins, as well, so they’re more experienced in that,” she said.

The health center, whose premises is the former home of Suffolk Pediatrics, will also save Suffolk parents the trip to CHKD Health Center at Harbour View, by offering physical, occupational and speech therapies.

Leverone said the new center is a result of the recognition of the growth Suffolk is experiencing, with more families moving to the area.

“Everybody would agree that Suffolk is booming; it’s definitely a growing community, and having more pediatric facilities here … is definitely more convenient for our families,” she said.

“We’ve asked them to do it for years, and we’re excited that it’s finally happening.”

After the new center opens on June 4, parents can call 668-2185 for pediatric lab services and 688-2191 for pediatric X-ray services. Appointments are not needed for X-rays and labs.

Call 668-2150 to make an appointment with a pediatric physical, occupational or speech therapist.