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Pediatric Special Needs

Services

Inpatient Services

EMPOWERING OUR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES​

Navigating medical issues can feel scary, confusing, and overwhelming for both children and their families. NCH is adding key professional staff and processes, to help our pediatric special needs patients and loved ones feel confident, informed and supported. Our vision is to enhance the patient experience by modeling patient experience through the needs and eyes of mothers and their children.

Personalized and empathic attention

A child life specialist will serve in the ER and pediatric units, helping children understand their medical treatment so they can positively cope with the stress of hospital visits and treatments. These professionals use distraction techniques, play and self-expression activities as support during medical and surgical procedures.

Specialized services

For children living with special needs, a hospital visit can trigger sensory overload. Studies have shown that certain sounds and lights can help calm the child in stressful situations. Our planned autistic sensory room will make children and their families more comfortable during an ER visit.

Seamless coordination of care

Pediatric clinicians will link our patients and families with the services and resources needed in the community to be healthy and comfortable. Our goal is to provide a seamless experience at NCH between physicians, insurance companies and schedulers, thus removing any barriers to care.