day hospital

The Robert Stone Day Hospital

Blythedale Children’s Hospital offers a specialty outpatient Day Hospital program for children who are able to live at home, but still require a level of medical and/or rehabilitative care that cannot be met by their school or a community outpatient program. Children admitted to the program receive daily medical supervision and nursing care, comprehensive rehabilitation services (physical, occupational, speech and/or feeding therapy) as ordered through the program physician, and education through the Mt. Pleasant Blythedale Union Free School District (UFSD). Children under the age of five receive therapeutic and developmental support through the Speech, Occupational, and Physical Therapy Departments.

Following an evaluation by an interdisciplinary team at Blythedale (in coordination with the child’s family and community physician), an individualized treatment plan is developed to address the child’s unique medical, therapeutic and developmental needs. In addition, every child is assigned a social worker to provide family support and case management. Ongoing emotional support and counseling is provided. 

Referrals are made to The Robert Stone Day Hospital by hospitals, medical professionals, social workers, schools, parents and community agencies. Blythedale is well-known for its superior outcomes and the ability to help patients achieve their maximum potential and meet their treatment objectives.

  • Board-certified pediatricians including full-time staff in rehabilitation medicine
  • Medical consultations by neurology, pulmonology and orthopedics, as needed
  • Experienced nursing staff
  • Largest hospital-based pediatric therapy department in New York State, with 85 full-time pediatric therapists (physical, occupational, respiratory, speech pathology and feeding)
  • 24/7 pulmonary and respiratory support (20 full-time pediatric respiratory therapists)
  • School programming at the Mount Pleasant Blythedale UFSD, the Hospital’s on-site K-12 public school district, to facilitate continued education during recovery. Transportation is provided by the child’s home school district
  • Full-day program runs from 9:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
  • Age-appropriate developmental support services provided for children under the age of five to allow for socialization with peers
  • Six full-time pharmacists, including a board-certified clinical pharmacist, providing medication management and administration, in consultation with referring physician
  • Pain assessment and monitoring
  • Adaptive equipment clinic on-site, with specially trained seating and mobility specialists, and expertise in prosthetics and orthotics
  • Comprehensive discharge planning to ensure a smooth return to a community school placement with appropriate medical follow-up in place

To make a referral to our Day Hospital program, please click here to download a referral form.

To learn more about Blythedale's Day Hospital program, or for questions regarding referrals, please contact Stormie Cahill.

Contact Information:

The Robert Stone Day Hospital Staff

day hospital director
Divya Lakhaney, M.D.
Unit Chief/Pediatrician

The Robert Stone Day Hospital is staffed by board certified pediatricians, including full-time staff in rehabilitation medicine and medical consultation in neurology, pulmonology and orthopedics, as needed, as well as 85 full-time pediatric therapists, respiratory therapists and an experienced nursing staff.

Stepping Stones Home - Blythedale's Day Hospital Program

Meet Max, an aspiring content creator who - at age 12 - is taking on the world while recovering from congenital heart disease and an hypoxic brain injury. Max attends the Robert Stone Day Hospital at Blythedale Children’s Hospital which offers a specialized program for children who are able to live at home, but still require a level of medical and/or rehabilitative care that cannot be met by their school or a community outpatient program. Children like Max receive daily medical supervision and nursing care, comprehensive rehabilitation services (physical, occupational, speech and/or feeding therapy), and education through the Mt. Pleasant Blythedale Union Free School District (UFSD). Blythedale is the only Hospital in the country with its own on-site public school district, specifically chartered to meet the needs of children with medical complexities. More than 150 children, from preschool through 12th grade, attend Blythedale's Day Hospital program, which provides a smooth transition back to the community and their home school district. This highly unique medical and educational program is unmatched in size and scope anywhere in the country.

Mathew's Perfect Pitch

Thirteen-year-old Mathew was well-known as a baseball prodigy in the Little League community. A versatile player, the talented teen hit more than 70 home runs in one year alone. The road that led him to Blythedale is heart-breaking, but his tenacity and courage in the face of adversity has led to an extraordinary recovery.

Mathew suffered life-threatening injuries when a quick-moving fire swept through his family's home on New Year's Day. While attempting to save his younger brother's life, Mathew sustained inhalation injuries and third-degree burns to more than 65% of his body. Following six weeks of intensive care, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and multiple skin graft surgeries at the Burn Center at NYP Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, Mathew's condition had stabilized enough for him to be transported to Blythedale for comprehensive burn and wound care and intensive rehabilitation.

Mt. Pleasant Blythedale UFSD Welcomes Back Students

The pencils were sharpened, the backpacks were filled and the classrooms were spotless. It was the first day of school for students at Mt. Pleasant Blythedale Union Free School District (UFSD) on Tuesday, September 5th. These students, in pre-K through 12th grade, are not only coming to learn but to also receive intensive therapies and comprehensive medical services as inpatients or Day Hospital patients at Blythedale Children’s Hospital.