HealthBridge Children’s offers care for children and young adults who are recovering from complex medical issues stemming from a brain injury, chronic disease, or other life-altering event.
Medi-Psych Dual Diagnosis
While some children and their loved ones can adapt well to living with a chronic or long-term illness, patients with a medi-psych dual diagnosis have greater difficulty adjusting. These patients and their families may experience an extremely high level of stress and anxiety as they face the diagnosis and the extended recovery process.
Contributing factors include worries, fear, sadness, anger, moodiness and irritability/agitation. All these concerns can lead to significant social difficulties and behavioral problems.
CHALLENGES
Some of the unique challenges facing the medi-psych pediatric population include:
- These patients are extremely difficult to discharge as most psych discharge options are not equipped to manage significant medical needs.
- Behavioral and psychological care directly impact the ability of children to cooperate with treatments.
- Psychology staff is required to employ various behavioral techniques to enhance the effectiveness of medical treatment.
STRESS FACTORS
In addition to patients’ diagnoses, there are many issues can contribute to the level of stress and anxiety a younger patient can experience, including:
- Level of pain/discomfort
- Difficult medical treatment and/or rehabilitation options
- Change in daily routine
- Uncertainty of what the future holds
That’s why we believe it’s so important to offer an integrated Medi-Psych Health Program at HealthBridge Children’s.
OUR PEDIATRIC TREATMENT TEAM
Our team of experienced pediatric medical professionals creates individualized care plans for each of our young patients — plans that are highly effective and that utilize the latest technologies and equipment. The interdisciplinary treatment team considers the specifics of each child’s situation to identify treatment options. These care plans evolve as the patient improves, always providing the best care solution for their current condition.
At HealthBridge Children’s, our staff is trained to:
- Work with the patient, family members and medical staff to deal with a variety of medically related issues
- Help with pain management
- Improve treatment compliance
- Deal with stress and family interactions that influence patient care
In addition to our targeted clinical medi-psych clinical services, we are committed to proving a physical environ-ment conducive to recovery. With kid-friendly décor such as children’s murals painted on the walls and the use of primary colors, young patients feel right at home at HealthBridge Children’s Hospital. In addition, we have also designed the space with features to accommodate family visits such as large window seating in patient rooms, pet therapy and less-rigid visiting requirements for family members.
We understand how important your child’s emotional health is to their long-term recovery.
That’s why we’ve created a comprehensive Medi-Psych Program that is Patient Centered, Physician Driven and Family Focused.