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Description

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About Us
Since 1949 Franciscan Hospital for Children has pioneered clinical therapeutic and educational programs for children with a variety of disabilities Through the years as one of the nations largest pediatric rehabilitation hospitals we have expanded our complement of programs and services for children with special health care needs as well as for children from the local community Our continuum of care includes inpatient residential educational surgical outpatient and home care programs a combination of services for children that is hard to find anywhere else

At Franciscan Hospital for Children we promote the integrity and well being of children and their caregivers through our quality of care This allows each child the opportunity to achieve the maximum potential in an atmosphere of respect compassion and dignity

Our Mission
At Franciscan Hospital for Children our mission is to provide compassionate care and education to children with special health care needs and to help them reach their full potential

Our Vision
To create a pediatric center for children with special needs that is a nationally and internationally recognized model leader and advocate of care that offers the best possible outcome for children with special health care needs

Our Values
Compassion We believe that those in need of our services deserve our esteem
gentle kindness and loving care

Health We believe that health is holistic It includes the physical
emotional educational and spiritual needs of the child and family

Integrity We believe that the needs of those we serve are our first
priority We adhere to ethical principles in all aspects of our practice

Laughter We believe that joy and good humor create a healing environment

Dignity We believe in the God given dignity of every human being

Respect We support a culture which promotes respect for those we serve our
Staff and our community

Excellence We believe in and strive for excellence in our commitment to care
for children

Networking We believe that we are called to collaborate among ourselves and
with others to assure a quality continuum of care for children

Excellence We believe in and strive for excellence in our commitment to care for children

Networking We believe that we are called to collaborate among ourselves and with others to assure a quality continuum of care for children

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History

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History
In 1939 Father Richard J Cushing became Auxiliary Bishop of Boston One of his strongest visions was to build a hospital for physically disabled children regardless of race religion or ability to pay

He soon joined forces with the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary an nternational order of Sisters dedicated to helping people in need

Next the Cardinal approached his friend Ambassador Joseph P Kennedy to finance the project He and his wife Rose heard the Cardinals plea and made an incredible 600000 donation to fund the new Hospital

With the help of many benefactors and friends the Cardinals dream was realized and a new venture to provide the highest quality of care to children with special needs was launched The Hospital was named the Joseph P Kennedy Jr Memorial Hospital in honor of Joe Kennedy Jr who was killed in action during World War II The Hospital was opened on September 8 1949 with more than 4000 visitors joining in the celebration

In the early years forty Sisters who lived at the Hospital became nurses physical therapists pharmacists and childcare specialists They also managed the admissions and finance With their commitment personalized care for children and families became the hallmark of the Hospitals tradition of care

The dedicated Franciscan Missionaries of Mary provided roundtheclock care and worked tirelessly to help each child reach his or her full physical intellectual emotional social and spiritual potential

In the 1950s the Hospital provided care and treatment for children with Downs Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy and worked aggressively to provide care to children suffering from the Polio epidemic Medical services for children with a variety of disabilities were created Outpatient services began and a Department of Social Work Services was added

A new building sponsored by the Knights of Columbus was constructed to help meet the needs of an expanding population Affiliations with area universities began As the Hospitals reputation spread far and wide so too did its list of friends Lou amp Lutza Smith dear friends of Cardinal Cushing became part of the Hospitals family providing financial support and countless parties amp entertainment events for the children

Responding to the changing demands in health care in the 1960s the Hospitals philosophy evolved from providing convalescent care to providing care that facilitated a childs return to home and the community

A complement of licensed services such as psychology and pediatrics were added so that children both inside and outside of the Hospital would have their rehabilitative medical and educational needs met under one roof In 1961 the Hospitals first surgical suite opened in a new pavilion named after Lou and Lutza Smith Evolving through the years these services have grown to become a stateoftheart surgical complex for ambulatory surgery

In 1963 a portion of the Hospital was converted to classrooms to meet the educational needs of children with physical disabilities many of whom were patients in the hospital The Kennedy Day School quickly became a unique educational facility for children with complex developmental and physical disabilities

With the help of an interdisciplinary team and creative learning exercises including music and computer technology children learned to maximize their potential and become as independent as possible Today seventy children with complex physical and cognitive disabilities attend school on the Hospitals campus

In 1967 the Hospital opened its pediatric dental clinic in partnership with Boston Universitys Goldman School of Dental Medicine providing high quality pediatric dental care and specializing in the care of children and adults with special needs

In the 1970s the Hospital continued to provide care within the restrictions of new financial challenges brought on by doubledigit inflation and tightened reimbursement for services Relying on the inspiration of its children the strategic efforts of administration and staff led not only to the continuation but the broadening of its mission

The Cushing Pavilion a three story wing was built in 1974 providing much needed space for rehabilitative pediatric and surgical patients as well as a wide range of therapeutic programs

The Hospital expanded on its mission with an array of behavioral health care programs that included Cognitive Behavioral programs and a fourday evaluation program

By the end of the 70s sixty percent of the children served were coping with learning emotional or developmental challenges rather than more readily apparent physical disabilities reflecting significant growth in the Hospitals continuum of services

In the 1980s the Hospital reorganized and consolidated its services resulting in an increased capacity to serve more children The Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program an innovative program for ventilator dependent infants and children was undertaken with the cooperation of all the major medical centers in New England Growing rapidly from its first days with one ventilator dependent child the program now cares for 20 children on a daily basis making it a unique program in New England

The Pediatric Rehabilitation Program for children who experience a traumatic injury or illness grew tremendously during this time as well Today under the direction of a Pediatric Physiatrist an interdisciplinary team provides an integrated program of medical and rehabilitative care for each child and family

The Hospital entered the 1990s with a new name Franciscan Childrens Hospital amp Rehabilitation Center Remaining eternally grateful to the Kennedy family for their commitment and generosity through the years the Hospitals memorial to Joseph P Kennedy Jr is maintained through The Kennedy Day School Several years later the name was shortened to Franciscan Hospital for Children

In partnership with McLean Hospital a national leader in behavioral health care inpatient and residential psychiatric programs for children and adolescents were added in 1997 Early interventional services were started in 1998 in conjunction with the New England Home for Little Wanderers another leader in behavioral health care An expansion in Pediatrics has coincided with specialized outpatient clinics such as Developmental Pediatrics Orthopedics and Neurology

Home care and the Hyman Novack Medical Day Care have also broadened the Hospitals commitment to providing community based care Pediatric resources extend into the community through partnerships with public and private schools

A number of renovations to the Franciscan Hospital for Children campus have been made in the last ten years to improve the treatment and education experience of children including newly remodeled recreation rooms playrooms waiting areas and outdoor playspaces A therapeutic pool was constructed so children could benefit from Aquatic Therapy

In 2008 the Center for Motion Analysis a state of the art lab using technology that allows clinicians to understand how a child moves while walking opened in the Physical Therapy department

Earlier this year the Inpatient Mental Health program was expanded by another twelve beds to serve the growing demand for Mental Health services for children and adolescents

In May of 2010 we broke ground on an expanded Kennedy Day School The new 20000 sq foot building expected to open late 2011 will provide larger classrooms wider hallways additional therapy space a new library and additional technology opportunities

To help fund renovations of the existing Kennedy Day School and purchase the specialized equipment and adaptive technology our children need the New Balance Foundation has issued us a challenge for every dollar we raise for Kennedy Day School project in 2011 New Balance Foundation will give us a dollar to renovate the old building up to 500000

Though our programs may change expand and evolve through the years the one thing that remains constant is our mission to provide compassionate care and education to children helping each reach his or her full potential