No family ever thinks they will be in the position of caring for a child with complex medical needs, but Blythedale’s innovative Parent and Family Education Program divides what initially seems like an overwhelming learning curve into tiny steps.

From infants with complex lung, heart or neurological conditions to the child who has suffered a devastating accident or medical crisis, providing extensive support and training to the child’s parents and caregivers prior to discharge is essential, particularly given the persistent shortage of home care nurses trained in caring for medically complex children. In the Hospital’s Simulation Lab, specially trained nurse educators and therapists use high-tech medical mannequins to teach parents how to insert tubes, suction, respond to alarms, and monitor and interpret their child’s responses. Parents learn everything from how to bathe a baby with breathing and feeding tubes attached to their body to how to manage a portable ventilator and oxygen. The impossible and terrifying becomes familiar and routine.

This essential part of Blythedale’s care requires so many resources, big and small. Your generosity ensures that this essential and multi-faceted program continues to pave the way home for all of our families.

At Blythedale, children and their families are at the heart of everything we do. And with more than 130 years of experience, we are a nationally recognized leader in developing innovative, multidisciplinary inpatient programs to help children with complex medical needs reach their maximum potential and return to their homes and families as soon as possible.

As New York State’s only independent, specialty children’s hospital and one of only 14 pediatric specialty hospitals in the United States, Blythedale has the combined staff, expertise and resources – including the largest pediatric therapy department in New York State – to provide exceptional comprehensive care for medically complex children and support for their families.

Children are admitted for a variety of medical conditions, including respiratory, traumatic brain injuries, pulmonary hypertension, high tech feeding, complicated trauma, cancer rehabilitation, spinal cord disorders and genetic/neuromuscular disorders. The Hospital comprises a 94-bed inpatient unit, the 24-bed Steven and Alexandra Cohen Pediatric Long Term Care Pavilion, and the Robert Stone Day Hospital program. We are the only Hospital in New York State with its own, on-site public school district that serves more than 120 children daily.