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Premature Birth Questions and Answers
Thursday 10-02-2008 8:22pm ET
What is premature birth? Babies who are born before 37 weeks are considered premature or pre-term. 12.5 percent of babies in the United States (more than half a million a year) are born prematurely – and that number continues to rise. Why is premature birth a problem? While advances in medical technologies are allowing us to save more babies – not too long ago these children may not have survived – many of these tiny children are profoundly ill. Babies born at 7 or 8 months or earlier are more likely to have medical complications. Some will need to be hospitalized for weeks or months. And yet others may require long-term, perhaps even life-long, medical and rehabilitative care. What kinds of health issues might a preemie experience? Premature birth can pose serious short- and long-term health problems – from developmental delays that require rehabilitation therapies to the most serious problems that affect the child’s breathing and/or brain. Brain damage may cause life-long problems of varying degrees. 40% of the 4,000 children seen at St. Mary’s are dealing with the long-term effects of pre-term birth. What causes pre-term birth? While the cause is not always known, some women are at a higher risk of delivering pre-term babies. In some cases, medical conditions play a factor (including high blood pressure, obesity, being severely underweight, or carrying multiples, among other health issues). In other cases, lifestyle choices play a role (this may include drinking alcohol, smoking, poor eating habits, physical or emotional stress, or the use of drugs). Age and previous pre-term deliveries are also risk factors. Can premature birth be prevented? In many cases it can – by promoting the importance of early prenatal care, which includes good nutrition and good medical care. Regular prenatal check-ups can help reduce the risk of pre-term birth by helping to identify and treat problems early in the pregnancy. The importance of early and ongoing prenatal care cannot be stressed enough. St. Mary’s has even gone so far as to visit high risk pregnant women in their homes to monitor their pregnancy, and provide prenatal care. What types of programs or services are available to help these children? There are a wide range of programs for children from Early Intervention that addresses developmental delays to Home Care services that provide rehabilitation and nursing care. There are a handful of organizations that provide services for the sickest children – those who are no longer sick enough to remain in the hospital’s NICU, but not strong enough to go home. St. Mary’s is one organization that can provide ongoing rehabilitation and medical care in our nursery and help educate the parents on how to care for their child when it’s time to go home. Robust home care services follow the family home to help optimize the child’s potential. As New York’s largest provider of post-acute and long-term home healthcare for children, St. Mary’s has been one of the pioneers of programs specifically designed to help premature infants live longer and better lives. Children with special needs questions and answers:
What is meant by children with special healthcare needs?
The official definition refers to children who require a scope and level of care that goes beyond the average child. They require all the well-child services in addition to special physical, educational, cognitive, behavioral, or nutritional needs. Their special needs may be the result of a chronic health condition, a congenital disorder, an accident, or premature birth.
What type of specialized care is available for children with special healthcare needs?
There are a variety of programs and services available from early intervention to rehabilitation to recreational and educational programs. Many services are directly health related and others can be recreational in nature. We can never lose sight that children need to play and recreate and be around other children.
The trick is knowing where to look for these programs that are specifically designed for children. St. Mary’s has been providing a full spectrum of pediatric post-acute services to children with special needs in the greater NY area for over 35 years.
What is post-acute care for children?
When a child has been hospitalized for any number of reasons and is not well enough to go home yet – families are often referred to a post-acute organization like St. Mary’s. Here they can receive specialized medical and rehabilitation services specifically geared for children, such as medical and nursing care, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech, therapy, and special education. Other programs include pain management, head injury treatment, social work, behavioral health, music therapy, art therapy… the list is quite extensive.
Where are these services provided?
Care can be provided at home, in the community, in a day-patient medical day care program, or in an inpatient setting. St. Mary’s has been very successful in finding the most appropriate setting for the child and family to receive services.
Is there a difference between post-acute care for adults and children?
Absolutely. Adults who require rehabilitation are rebuilding skills that were lost. Children’s needs are very different. In most cases, children are developing the skill for the first time during the course of their injury or illness – they need to be habilitated and rehabilitated. This requires clinicians who are trained in pediatric medicine – educated and experienced in dealing with children and children health needs.
How can a parent access post-acute programs for children with special needs?
Oftentimes, it is through the discharge planner at the hospital. You might also speak with your pediatrician or access any of the agencies listed on this website. Of course, you can contact St. Mary’s as a resource as well.St. Mary's Services for Children with Special Needs
Wednesday 05-21-2008 12:42pm ET
Early Intervention
Early Intervention is a program available to families of children from newborn to 3 years of age, where they can access experts to evaluate if their child has a delay in any of 5 common areas of development. Communications/language, physical, cognitive/learning skills, adaptive/managing daily activities, and social/emotional.
There is no out of pocket expense for the evaluation. And if the child qualifies, he or she is eligible to receive services as well. Both evaluation and service are provided by approved agencies, like St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children.
Rehabilitation
St. Mary's is a recognized leader in pediatric rehabilitation services for infants, children, and adolescents facing the consequences of trauma, illness, and congenital disorders. Our integrated team of experienced therapists, medical, and nursing professionals deliver these services wherever the child is cared for – in the Hospital, at home, in the community, or at our Roslyn, LI office - while helping loved ones embrace their role as primary caregivers. Therapies include physical, occupational, speech/language, feeding, complementary care, and therapeutic activities.
Home Care
St. Mary's pioneered home healthcare for children more than 25 years ago and is today still the largest provider of long-term home healthcare for children in New York State. St. Mary’s Home Care programs also provide short-term care, case management, and HIV/AIDS care to children and their families.
Inpatient Programs
St. Mary's Healthcare System for Children provides intensive rehabilitation and complex medical and care for children with special needs in two inpatient facilities located in Bayside, Queens, and Ossining, Westchester. St. Mary's inpatient programs and services are designed to provide the most sophisticated treatment modalities that address all aspects of the healing process complete with bilingual support. Multidisciplinary teams of pediatric specialists in medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, psychology, social work, and child development coordinate each child's individualized care plan to ensure optimal outcomes. For more information, visit http://www.stmaryskids.org/ps_inpatient.html.
Feeding Disorders
Experts estimate that nearly 25% of all children, or 80% of children with developmental delays or multiple handicaps, have feeding disorders (not to be confused with eating disorders). St. Mary's Center for Pediatric Feeding Disorders offers the only interdisciplinary feeding program in New York State – one of only nine in the country – with a variety of specialists who are solely dedicated to helping children with feeding disorders thrive.
Head Health/Brain Injury Programs
St. Mary’s is a recognized leader in brain injury treatment and recovery. With the first pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Coma Recovery Program to be certified in New York City, St. Mary’s has been successfully helping children regain mobility and independence following serious injury or illness, with a focus on community reintegration. St. Mary’s also offers programs on promoting good head health and safety on the playground, in the car, and on the athletic fields.
Medical Day Care
St. Mary’ s offers a special day care program for children ages 5 to 18 who have medical and/or rehabilitative needs. This dynamic program provides a wide range of on-campus medical and rehabilitative care, as well as vital therapeutic activities, including homework assistance after school and on Saturdays, socialization, and planned recreational activities. The program also includes a summer component, offered daily or after summer school and includes therapeutic activities, such as swimming, arts and crafts, indoor/outdoor play, and field trips in addition to rehabilitation services. For more information, contact 1-888-KIDS-NYS.
Websites and resources
Thursday 10-02-2008 8:29pm ET
St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children One of the nation’s premier providers of healthcare for children with special needs and life-limiting conditions and the largest provider of long-term care for children in New York State www.stmaryskids.org March of Dimes National, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. www.marchofdimes.com PreemieCare
A non-profit organization dedicated to supporting families of infants born pre-term through education, support, and resources. http://www.preemiecare.org
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© 2008