Our long-standing commitment to delivering family- and patient- centered care ensures that families have access to unparalleled medical care as well as the social, emotional and physical resources they need to achieve the best outcomes for their child before and after treatment. These resources include language interpretation services, social workers, child life specialists and rehabilitation services.
Partnering with the Family
Family-centered care rounds play a pivotal role in improving health outcomes and increasing patient and family satisfaction. Family members (and patients age 18 and older) participate in daily meetings with caregivers at the bedside and partner with their child’s multidisciplinary team throughout the course of care to assist with decisions regarding treatment. Working with family members gives our specialists a better understanding of the emotional, social, cultural and religious beliefs unique to each family.
Providing Emotional Support
Trained child life specialists from our Phoebe H. Stein Child Life Program work with patients ranging in age from newborn to young adults and their families to address fears; provide emotional support; educate children and their families on illnesses, injuries, medical equipment and treatment; and prepare children and their families for tests, procedures and surgeries.
Pre-hospitalization tours offered through the program help familiarize the hospital environment for children and their families. During hospitalization, our child life specialists engage patients in a host of activities, including medical play and creative arts therapies. Special events and our Nathaniel Rand Playroom offer children the chance to interact with other children—focusing not on their illness but on being a child. The program also offers complementary therapies such as relaxation and Reiki through its integrative and palliative care team.
Educating Patients
Our commitment to empowering and educating its patients, their families and the community to make better health decisions is the catalyst behind the hospital’s Suzanne Pincus Family Learning Place. This health and information resource center maintains a collection of printed, electronic and audiovisual materials covering a range of health-related topics in many languages and reading levels.
Bringing Technology to the Bedside
The Get Well Network is a multi- lingual interactive system that enhances the patient experience. Using a wireless keyboard and a 42- inch flat-screen TV installed in their room, patients can access medical education videos and entertainment, including popular movies and social media sites, as well as hospital services such as dietary, housekeeping and customer relations, from their beds.
Building Bridges for Local Youth
Our Explainer Program helps prepare local high school and college- age youth for healthcare careers by providing them with professional mentors and the opportunity to work in a healthcare environment. Explainer staff visit with patients and help them learn and activate the technology that is available to them, such as the Get Well Network.