Programs & Services

Board certified pediatricians and nurse practitioners work closely with families and caregivers to meet the complex medical needs of the infants, children, and adolescents at the Pediatric Center. They provide primary health maintenance services for, and address the acute needs of, each resident. In addition, as key members of the interdisciplinary team, they help to coordinate the overall care of the children. The medical staff also includes our physiatrist and psychologists as well as subspecialty consultants in dentistry, cardiology, genetics, infectious diseases, neurology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, otolaryngology, psychiatry, pulmonology and surgery who visit the Center on a regular basis.

Family-centered care is provided by skilled pediatric nurses. Clinical specialists and educators offer a comprehensive curriculum designed to assure expertise in current nursing practice. Our nursing staff consists of nurses with training in specialties such as tracheostomy care, oxygen therapy, pulse oximetry monitoring, nasogastric and nasojejunal gastrostomy, total parenteral nutrition, and intravenous therapy. Our nurses provide counseling and training to family members, especially when a child is preparing to return home. Our nursing team consists of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants.

Because families of children with complex medical conditions often struggle with social, economic and emotional difficulties, our social workers help parents and other relatives meet the challenges facing them. Referrals are made to resources in the community that will enable families to meet their children's special needs. As needed, social workers advocate for families with Medicaid, insurance providers or Social Security. Social Services prepares families for home care, long-term resident treatment or end-of-life concerns as appropriate.

The Comprehensive Feeding Therapy Program is a trans-disciplinary initiative developed to enhance oral intake and maximize independence at mealtimes. A neighborhood team consisting of a Speech Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Dietician, Pediatrician, Nurse, Psychologist, Child Life Specialist, and Music Therapist assess each child's feeding abilities and potential, develop a feeding plan, educate caregivers and family members, and foster a mealtime environment that improves quality of life and promotes feeding success. The Comprehensive Feeding Therapy Program addresses resident needs through individualized therapy as well as through feeding groups that have been developed around the goals of the program. These groups target children with "failure to thrive", candidates for full or partial weaning from tube feeding, infants who are not presently taking food by mouth but who benefit from oral stimulation, and children who have developed sensory and behavioral issues around mealtime including aversions to foods or utensils. The groups use traditional therapeutic interventions as well as music therapy to motivate children and create positive eating and self-feeding experience.

We provide intensive rehabilitation for children with a broad range of abilities. Children receive a comprehensive evaluation in occupational, physical and speech therapies. Assessment and treatment may include ambulation training with or without an assistive device, design of adaptive seating systems, assessment of activities of daily living, hydrotherapy and specialized feeding programs. On-site rehabilitation clinics include audiology, adaptive equipment, orthopedic, orthotic and physiatry.

The Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center provides pastoral care/counseling for families, the children and the staff. We are a faith-based Pediatric Center, which means that the spiritual component of the human person is recognized, honored, and nurtured. The Saint Elizabeth Ann Chapel on the first floor offers time of quiet prayer and mediation and a weekly liturgy over the lunch hour. Religious celebrations and seasons are remembered, recognized and celebrated as well as religious rites desired by family members. Thus within the walls of the Pediatric Center we respect such faith traditions as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikh, and the many sects of Christianity; all are couched in Spirituality as diverse as the many who walk and work here. Although the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center is a specifically a Roman Catholic Faith-based Institution, and abides by the moral code of Catholicism, all faith-traditions and cultures are welcomed.