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Journeys of Hope
For countless children, working tirelessly everyday to reach their own significant milestones… a first step following a devastating car accident, Blythedale is a starting point on their journeys of hope. Our children drive our vision and our tireless pursuit to develop innovative clinical programs and partnerships with leading academic medical centers to vastly improve children’s lives. As we maintain Blythedale’s status as the pre-eminent children's hospital in the region serving children with special healthcare needs, we are faced with a fork in the road. Our current facilities, built in the 1960’s, were not designed to accommodate the technology that accompanies the extraordinary advances made in pediatric medicine over the last forty years. While we continue to provide the same exceptional medical care that has always been the hallmark of Blythedale, we can no longer meet the demand for rooms that can accommodate life-saving equipment and technology at bedside. The waiting lists for our programs and services continue to grow, but we are no longer able to retrofit our existing space as we have in the past. And as our programs evolve, so do the highly specific needs of our patients.
Our direction is clear, which is why we have launched the Capital Campaign for Blythedale - a $65.3 million philanthropic initiative to build a new inpatient hospital. The modernization project, which is the first major renovation of the Hospital in nearly 40 years, will incorporate the latest medical technology in a warm and child-centered environment. The new facility will feature larger inpatient rooms, a spacious new entrance and lobby and expanded treatment areas for the Hospital’s therapy programs. The project is designed to address the dramatic changes in Blythedale’s patient population and diagnoses over the past several decades. This ambitious and transformational project has a projected completion date of 2011, with no interruption in service. This campaign is unprecedented. Throughout its 115-year history, Blythedale has been fortunate to be able to count on an extraordinary core of donors to help us reach our goals. But now – more than ever – we need your support as we continue to build on that strong philanthropic legacy. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and every gift matters. Now, we ask you to join us on our journey and help us to provide the facility that matches the expert level of care and dedication we have always provided -- and the fitting starting point at which our patients will embark on their own journeys to claim their futures. For further information, please contact Chief Development Officer Betsy Bowman at (914) 592-7138, ext. 411 or email to betsyb@blythedale.org  |
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For example, in our existing four-bedded rooms, we are unable to provide the stimuli-free environment so crucial to the recovery of the child emerging from coma. In addition, these rooms are too small for each child’s parent to stay at bedside overnight. Also, we are limited by the lack of enough rooms with piped-in oxygen, forcing waiting lists for babies and children with complex pulmonology needs. As we now admit much sicker children, their medication needs have increased 12-fold, thus leaving us with insufficient medication distribution facilities. Our inpatient rooms lack private shower facilities, but rather offer a large common room on each unit. In short, our building can no longer support the highly complex needs of our children.