Pediatric Long Term Care
Learn About the Children's Specialized Hospital Long Term Care Outbreak Plans
Our Pediatric Long Term Care Commitment
The Pediatric Long Term Care (LTC), Respite Care, and Palliative Care services at Children's Specialized Hospital provide exceptional care for children with complex medical conditions. Our two LTC centers in northern and central New Jersey are home to many medically fragile children whose families' current circumstances no longer allow them to be cared for in the home or other community settings.
Our commitment to Patient and Family Centered Care sets us apart from other Pediatric Long Term Care Centers by ensuring that your goals for your child are heard and incorporated into their medical and therapeutic care plan. Our team of medical, respiratory, and therapeutic health care professionals develop each child’s unique care plan by partnering with your family to best meet the medical and emotional needs of your child.
The Children We Care For
Children's Specialized Hospital Long Term Care Center provides dignified and tender loving care for children and adolescents with long-term medical needs. Our warm and welcoming atmosphere combines specialized therapeutic medical and nursing care with a diverse array of activities designed to maintain each child's abilities and encourage their maximum potential.
We provide care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at our LTC centers in Mountainside and Toms River for children with:
- Critical airways (e.g., tracheostomy)
- Mechanical ventilator dependency (Mountainside LTC only)
- Complex seizure disorders
- Neuromuscular diseases
- Chromosomal disorders
- Complications of prematurity
- Neurological impairments
- Craniofacial anomalies
- Complications from microcephaly
- Terminal illnesses
- Degenerative disease processes
- Traumatic brain injury
- Failure to thrive (e.g., short gut)
- Orthopedic anomalies and conditions
- Other long-term care needs
Our Comprehensive Approach
To meet the unique needs of each child and family, Long Term Care at Children's Specialized takes a comprehensive approach to care. Our team of professionals is dedicated to providing a safe and nurturing environment that optimizes the health and well-being of your child.
- Our medical, nursing, and therapy team assess the needs of your child upon admission and prepare, with your input, a comprehensive plan.
- Continual monitoring of your child's status assures that his/her care plan is adapted to any changes, thereby maximizing your child's potential and enabling the least restrictive environment possible.
- Beyond the individualized care plan, your child will enjoy a wide array of therapeutic activities that provide engagement while enhancing their quality of life. Families are welcome and encouraged to participate in these activities as well.
Some of the therapeutic activities include:
- Cuddler program
- Multi-sensory room (Mountainside LTC only)
- Music therapy
- Patient pals
- Pet therapy
- Sensory groups
- Switch toys and computer games
Pediatric Respite Care Services
The number of children living with medical complexity within the community has significantly risen over the past several years. These children often require around-the-clock medical and nursing care by trained professionals and the care their families provide. When the nursing needs are unmet, the families become the sole responsible party for the round-the-clock care. This level of care can be exhausting and stressful, especially when there is no respite for the family.
Respite care is a specialized type of care that allows families a temporary
reprieve or break from the care responsibilities being carried out within
the home. This reprieve allows families to focus on their own physical
and emotional needs while being assured their children receive the same
level of care required to maintain their health.
At Children’s Specialized Hospital Long Term Care facilities, we provide respite care for children with all levels of medical complexity. We have a full team of care providers (medical, nursing, respiratory, and therapy) who ensure the child's well-being throughout the respite admission. The child is integrated into the unit and receives all necessary services and treatment. We collaborate with the child’s family, primary caregivers, and medical teams to ensure the temporary transition of care is smooth and thorough.
To benefit from this program, the child must have Medicaid and be in the Managed Long Term Support System (MLTSS). Self-Pay options are available to those who do not have Medicaid. The program provides 30 days of respite care per calendar year. Prior to entering Respite Care, a pre-admission screen and resident review (PASRR) must be completed by the child’s physician or RN. Children must have a skilled nursing need (i.e. g-tube dependency, technology dependent respiratory support) to be considered eligible for respite care services.
For more information on our Respite Care Services, contact Jeannie Brooks at jbrooks@childrens-specialized.org or call 908-301-5461. Click here to learn more about Respite Care Services.
Pediatric Palliative Care Services
Pediatric Palliative Care is specialized medical care for children living with 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. As palliative care providers, we focus on the child and family’s total health, including mind, body and spirit, while also providing their needed medical interventions. This focus is how Children’s Specialized Hospital provides care for all the children we serve throughout Long Term Care, Inpatient and Outpatient.
At Children’s Specialized Hospital, our clinicians, social workers and chaplains go through a one-year training program to learn and share pediatric palliative care best practices, including symptom management and support services for families.
Our Experienced Team of Professionals
Children's Specialized Hospital Long Term Care Center is committed to providing your child with the best medical care possible. Our team of experts includes board certified pediatric sub-specialists, nurses, and therapists.
Board Certified Medical Team
- Certified pediatric nurse practitioner
- Physiatrist (Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Specialist)
- Pediatrician
- Pediatric sub-specialists
- Outpatient and inpatient physicians
Nursing Team
- RNs and LPNs
- Certified Nurses Aides
- Restorative Nursing Assistants
Therapeutic Team
- Behavioral Therapist
- Child Life Specialist
- Occupational Therapist
- Physical Therapist
- Recreational Therapist
- Speech Therapist
Specialized Support Team
- Registered pediatric dietitian
- Rehabilitation technology staff
- Certified infection preventionist
- Psychologist/psychotherapist
- Chaplain/spiritual needs
- Family faculty
- Social worker
Learn more about the LTC team.
What Makes Children's Specialized Hospital Unique?
Just like your child, our pediatric Long Term Care Centers are unique in many ways.
State-of-the-Art Respiratory Care
Our respiratory team is made up of some of the most experienced respiratory
therapists in the State of New Jersey. In our centers, the respiratory
therapists are able to continuously monitor children with challenging
respiratory needs such as mechanical ventilator dependency and tracheostomy.
Some advanced techniques performed are:
- Tracheostomy insertion and removal
-
Weaning from mechanical ventilation
- Our Mountainside center offers more intensive supervision nursing stations than similar facilities to ensure children with respiratory challenges are closely monitored.
- Our on-site lab provides quick turn around on blood gases, glucose, chemistry and ketone levels.
Our department staffs respiratory therapists in our center 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
When it comes to learning the care of your child with a tracheostomy and/or with mechanical ventilation, our staff provides direct training and care techniques to allow greater opportunities to visit outside the facility to your home, special events and overnight stays. We are here to support our families and children.
Award Winning Patient and Family Centered Care
Children's Specialized Hospital practices award-winning patient and family-centered care. We understand the vital role that a partnership with our families plays in ensuring the health and well-being of your child. We not only have a team of medical professionals that work with you, but we also employ Family Faculty. The Family Faculty team is made up of parents and caregivers of children who have received or are currently receiving services at CSH. Family Faculty provides support for families and partners with staff to ensure that families have the most positive experience possible.
Additional Long Term Care Resources/Information
- Assessment & Admission to LTC
- Therapy Overview
- LTC Team
- LTC Resources
- LTC Locations
- About LTC Respite Care
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Supporting Families as they Transition their Child to Long Term Care
- For Referring Providers: Supporting Referral Sources as they Transition their Patient to LTC
View our Pediatric Long Term Care brochure.