

- Home
- Services & Support
- Departments & Services
- Respiratory Care Services
Respiratory Care Services
The Respiratory Therapy Department at Blythedale Children's Hospital provides comprehensive cardiopulmonary care to medically complex children of all ages, from infancy to young adulthood.
Respiratory therapists serve as consultants to nurses, physicians, and other members of the health care team. Our staff consists of experienced respiratory therapists and respiratory therapy residents who provide excellent quality care, including inpatient services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The department is equipped with the latest technological advancements in respiratory care, enabling RTs to provide robust, customized care and well-rounded education to both parents and our medically complex pediatric patients. At Blythedale, we have a dedicated Respiratory Therapy Clinical Education Specialist who focuses on staff, child, and family education. We pride ourselves in the education of parents and families in basic medical competencies to improve health outcomes and promote safe clinical decision making.
Therapy and services provided include:
- Airway clearance techniques (e.g., cough assist or chest physiotherapy)
- Capnography - End tidal CO2 monitoring
- Elective and emergent patient transport
- High flow nasal cannula therapy (Airvo, Vapotherm & other devices)
- Mechanical ventilation (use of critical care, transport, and home ventilators)
- Non-invasive ventilation techniques (CPAP, BiPAP, AVAPS)
- Oxygen therapy and aerosol therapy
- Pulmonary rehabilitation (ventilator weaning, passy-muir valve)
- Vital team members of the rapid response/code blue team
As a department that strives for innovation and excellence, Blythedale respiratory therapists are always in search of the newest technologies. Our RTs ensure that care delivery and clinical protocols reflect evidence-based practices. The pediatric population served by the Respiratory Therapy Department at Blythedale Children's Hospital are children who have medical complexities such as congenital heart defects, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), complex feeding disorders, as well as other acute and chronic respiratory illnesses. RTs are undoubtedly an important sector of Blythedale Children's Hospital, providing essential, life-saving services to their patients.
Our respiratory therapists are registered/certified by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) and licensed by the New York State Education Department. Our team also consists of respiratory therapists who are Board Certified as Neonatal-Pediatric Specialists and Certified Asthma Educators by the NBRC. We also serve as a clinical affiliate and pediatric rotation site for Hartford University, Norwalk Community College, Stony Brook University, SUNY Sullivan, and Westchester Community College.
Click here to learn more about Blythedale's Pediatric Respiratory Therapy Residency Program
Interested in applying for a Respiratory Therapy position at Blythedale? Click here!
Contact Information:
- Jade Almendrala, M.B.A., R.R.T., R.R.T.-A.C.C.S., R.R.T.-N.P.S., Director of Respiratory Therapy
- jalmendrala@blythedale.org
- (914) 592-7555 Ext. 71274
Respiratory Care Services Staff

Respiratory Care Services has a staff of 27 full-time pediatric respiratory therapists to provide services to inpatients, as well as Day Hospital and Long Term Care patients.
Treatments We Support
Pulmonary Hypertension
Blythedale’s expertise in caring for the most medically fragile of children is evident in our Pulmonary Hypertension rehabilitation program. Children come to Blythedale directly from the Intensive Care Unit while receiving intravenous, inhaled, subcutaneous or oral medications for pulmonary...
Learn morePulmonary Rehabilitation
The goal of the Pulmonary Rehabilitation program is weaning from technology completely or to the least invasive support to facilitate the family's transition to home. Parents are involved in the care of their child every step of the way, and learn proper use of equipment, care of tracheostomy,...
Learn morePost Acute Neonatal Care
Whether requiring ongoing medical management and rehabilitation due to extreme prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, congenital cardiac disease, pulmonary hypertension , hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, short gut syndrome, feeding disorders or other complications occurring in the neonatal period...
Learn moreComplex Post-Surgical Rehabilitation
Patients are admitted for acute medical and rehabilitative inpatient care following major trauma (such as head and spinal injuries, extensive soft tissue trauma/burns, vascular injuries, major muscle/ligament injuries, amputations or fractures), extensive scoliosis surgery, selective dorsal...
Learn moreCancer Rehabilitation
A customized therapeutic regimen enables patients to regain their strength and function while undergoing or recovering from surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. We recognize the vital importance of an ongoing relationship with the child’s referring oncology team, and we participate...
Learn moreNeuromuscular Disorders
The goal of our Neuromuscular Disorders program is to help children maximize their functional abilities through comprehensive medical care and rehabilitation, utilizing state-of-the-art technology, environmental modifications and adaptive equipment. Following an intake evaluation, the child’s...
Learn moreSpecialized Feeding
Children referred to Blythedale for Therapeutic Feeding have wide-ranging conditions including prematurity, short-gut syndrome, brain injury, oral-motor dysfunction, aversion behaviors, cognitive deficits or post-surgical complications. Services for these children include evaluations for both...
Learn moreComplex Chronic Conditions
Many children come to Blythedale with multiple, complex chronic conditions that impact their function. These chronic conditions - including cerebral palsy, CHARGE syndrome, congenital and chromosomal abnormalities, severe epilipsy - can complicate recovery after surgeries, acute illnesses or...
Learn more
Respiratory Therapy at Blythedale Children’s Hospital
Helping Children Breathe Independently - and Parents Exhale a Sigh of Relief - for More than 35 Years

Arriyana Doesn't Let Pulmonary Hypertension Keep Her Down
16-month-old Ariyana was born at a mere 25-weeks gestation, weighing only 15 ounces. Her immediate medical needs were highly complex, given her extreme prematurity. She had several serious complications, including bronchopulmonary dysplasia and retinopathy of prematurity. She was also diagnosed...

Addiena's Story
Watch Addiena's story and learn more about her journey - overcoming complications of prematurity - to go home with her adoring parents.

Marvelous Mirela
In June of 2016, then three-month-old Mirela was admitted to Blythedale’s Infant & Toddler Unit for medical management of her complex condition, and potentially for ventilator weaning. She was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension and chronic respiratory failure, as well as congenital...