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The opening of The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore is the first dedication of a major facility in New York City since the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11. “This has been a difficult time for all New Yorkers and we believe this hospital can be a sign of hopefulness and healing,” said Irwin Redlener, MD, president of The Children’s Hospital. “These days can be frightening and confusing to even healthy children, so it is important that we provide a safe and nurturing environment for the children of the Bronx and beyond.”
The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore sets the standard for hospitals in the 21st century, featuring the most advanced medical technologies, innovative approaches to child health and a peerless medical staff, many of whom serve on the faculty of the nationally renowned faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Among the hospital’s key features: a pediatric emergency room; an intensive care unit for children coping with life-threatening illness or recovering from major surgery; advanced electronic communication systems allowing medical professionals to share information and provide long-term continuity of care; a center for communications disorders devoted to helping children with speech, hearing and language problems; teaching and learning facilities; and a day hospital for patients who require several hours or a full day of treatments.
The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore was developed in partnership with The Children’s Health Fund, a national non-profit organization committed to the design and implementation of innovative pediatric programs for medically underserved children. Dr. Redlener is also the president and co-founder of The Children’s Health Fund.
In addition to offering a full complement of world-class health services, the Children’s Hospital will function as the hub of Montefiore’s Child Health System, an extensive network of more than 30 community-based health care sites, mobile medical programs and school health clinics located throughout the Bronx and southern Westchester County. Routine cases will be treated at the community-based sites, while more severe cases requiring specialized or inpatient care will be referred to The Children’s Hospital.
“The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore will provide all of the children in our community with the most advanced health care on the planet,” said Dr. Redlener. "The Children's Hospital and the formation of the Child Health System will give the region a comprehensive, innovative system that will serve as a national and international model for children's health care."
“The Children's Hospital at Montefiore shows our commitment to meet the needs of the community - the more than 400,000 children of the Bronx and surrounding region,” said Montefiore Medical Center President Spencer Foreman, MD. “This facility will provide a home for an outstanding department of pediatrics and the related specialties serving children. I am proud to present this hospital to the Bronx as the clinical and academic hub of a comprehensive regional system providing the most sophisticated pediatric health care available.”
The guiding philosophy behind the Children’s Hospital is family-centered care, the concept that a child’s family and caregivers are active partners of the health care team in enhancing the child’s health and quality of life. Family-centered care will provide the central focus for the Children’s Hospital, with family-friendly facilities and programs that encourage parents to play active roles in their child’s care.
A unique feature of the hospital is The Carl Sagan Discovery Program, an interactive experience that greets everyone who enters the facility. Patients and their families will learn about issues affecting their health through innovative exhibits and hands-on learning tools to expand their horizons and foster an understanding of self and context within the world and the universe. Wireless computers are at every bedside, linked to educational web sites and complete with software that enables patients to communicate with friends and family.
Another integral element of The Children’s Hospital will be The Novartis Center for International Child Health. Novartis is a world leader in Life Sciences with core businesses in health care, agribusiness and consumer health (nutrition and self-medication). The Center will allow the hospital to organize and coordinate international initiatives including patient transfers, teaching opportunities and clinical training, as well as identifying other opportunities for international collaboration in pediatric care.
Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is internationally recognized as a leader in patient care, education, research and community service. Montefiore serves as a primary health resource for 1.25 million Bronx residents, and as a tertiary care referral center offering the most advanced care to patients from the entire metropolitan area and across the nation. The medical center encompasses two acute care hospitals; ambulatory specialty care centers; the Montefiore Medical Group, a network of more than 30 primary care offices throughout the Bronx and Westchester County; and the first, and one of the largest, hospital-based home health agencies in the country.
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Chairman, Radiation Oncology
Montefiore is establishing new standards in radiation treatment for many cancers. For example, to treat lung cancer we use Image-Guided Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IGRT), which allows unprecedented targeting of a lung tumor without harming surrounding tissue – even when the lungs move as the patient breathes.
