Children’s Specialized Hospital, part of the RWJBarnabas Health Children’s Health Network, unveiled the newly renovated pediatric long-term care unit at CSH Mountainside, helping expand access to highly specialized care for children with complex medical needs.
The state-of-the-art unit features upgraded patient rooms and the addition of 14 new beds, for a total of 64 beds. One of the new beds will be placed in a private room dedicated to Lisa and Peter McNamara and the Liam’s Room Foundation for children and families in need of inpatient pediatric palliative care.
The renovated unit also features family break and visit/sleep rooms, therapy rooms including a dedicated space for occupational/activities of daily living therapy — which is designed as a market and post office — virtual reality room, sensory spa/hair salon, medical and dental examination rooms, a classroom, pharmacy, updated nurses station, a renovated pool and new fish tank.
“The pediatric residents at our long-term care facility in Mountainside are children with medical complexity who require significant long-term support,” Dr. Matthew McDonald III, CEO and president of Children’s Specialized Hospital, said. “Thanks to these renovations, we are able to expand access to the specialized, individualized care and comprehensive services these children and their families need. We are so fortunate to be able to provide this true home away from home for our residents where they can continue to learn, grow and reach their full potential.”
The renovations to CSH Mountainside were fully funded by philanthropy through the Transforming Lives 2.0 capital campaign. CSH Foundation has raised over $44 million to fund this and other vital expansion projects over the last three years.
“So much of what Children’s Specialized is today, started at this Mountainside location over 130 years ago,” Phil Salerno III, president and chief development officer, CSH Foundation, said. “It is gratifying to see the appreciation of our donors and friends as we rededicate this site to a new generation of children.”
CSH Mountainside is home to many children with long-term medical needs whose families’ current circumstances no longer allow for them to be cared for in the home or other community settings. CSH provides specialized medical care for children living with a life-limiting or life-altering illness that focuses on quality of life, symptom management and easing the burden of illness for the child and the family.
Additionally, CSH’s philosophy of patient-and-family-centered care ensures that each family’s goals for their child are heard and incorporated into their medical and therapeutic care plan. An integrated team of medical, respiratory and therapeutic health care professionals develop each child’s unique and comprehensive care plan by partnering with the family to best meet the medical and emotional needs of each child.
