Overview
A hospital stay can be a stressful and intimidating experience for children, teens, and their families. At NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, our Child Life program helps young patients and their families to develop coping strategies and alleviate the stress and trauma of illness and hospitalization. Our dedicated Certified Child Life Specialists work with your child and your family before a procedure or surgery to address any fears, reduce anxiety, and answer any questions you may have. They are specially trained and certified to ensure that each child’s hospital experience is positive and supportive.
About Our Program
At NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, our Certified Child Life Specialists are experts in child development who promote effective coping for patients and their families through play, preparation, education, and opportunities for self-expression. Through this family-centered care approach, our Child Life team helps normalize the hospital experience, reduce fears, eliminate misconceptions, and encourage positive associations with the hospital and the medical treatment process.
We achieve this by:
- Providing procedural support by using distraction and guided imagery techniques to ease anxiety.
- Using medical play therapy to prepare patients for upcoming diagnostic exams, medical treatments, and procedures.
- Engaging patients in individual and group recreational activities.
- Planning special events, holidays, and daily programming.
Our Child Life Specialists are integral members of your child’s healthcare team. Before a procedure or during your child’s hospital stay, they consult closely with your child’s pediatrician, surgeon, and other subspecialists. They also provide information and support to families and advocate for family-centered care and the needs of the hospitalized child.
When to Contact a Child Life Specialist
We encourage you to contact our Child Life Specialists to help you and your child with the following challenges:
- Managing coping difficulties
- Understanding information about an illness, injury, or a new diagnosis
- Preparation for scheduled procedures, tests, or surgeries
- Facilitating parents’ support and accompaniment during a procedure
- Pain management
- Medication compliance
- Developmental issues
- Sibling issues
- Frequent admissions
- Impending death or death
Our Approach to Care
Holistic and Comprehensive Care
At NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, we recognize that every child has a unique set of symptoms, circumstances, and needs. We take a holistic approach to care that considers the entire patient, including their physical, emotional, and social factors. We partner with patients and their families in shared decision-making, empowering them with knowledge, support, and the most effective treatment options to achieve the best possible outcome for every child.
A Multidisciplinary Team Approach
Our Child Life Specialists are integral members of your child’s healthcare team. Before a procedure or during your child’s hospital stay, they consult closely with your child’s pediatrician, surgeon, and other subspecialists. They also provide information and support to families and advocate for family-centered care and the needs of the hospitalized child.
Parents As Team Members
As a parent, only you can provide important information about your child. You can also help other team members shape your child’s personalized treatment program based on your child’s physical, emotional, and practical needs. Your input is critical for making final decisions regarding your child’s care. Our multidisciplinary team is here to work alongside you and your family to achieve the greatest possible outcomes for your child.
Why Choose Us
Seamless Access to World-Class Medical Experts
NewYork-Presbyterian Queens is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian & Weill Cornell Medicine, an Ivy League medical school that is among the nation’s best in patient care, medical education, and research. We offer many of the highly specialized services typically found in an academic medical center, but without the commute to Manhattan and in the comfortable setting of a local community hospital. Your child has access to the world-class resources available through our affiliations with the NewYork-Presbyterian healthcare network, ensuring that they receive the most advanced care close to home.
Affiliated with Nationally Ranked Children’s Hospitals
NewYork-Presbyterian Queens offers young patients seamless access to two renowned children’s hospitals, NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital. Both hospitals are among the nation’s leading centers for diagnosing and treating childhood diseases and are major referral centers for complex and rare disorders in infants, children, and adolescents.
Convenient Locations
Through NewYork-Presbyterian Medical Group Queens, we offer pediatric healthcare services at several convenient locations close to where you live or work.