The Children’s Hospital at Downstate Joins National Network of Children’s Hospitals
Mar 20, 2009
Brooklyn, NY - The Children’s Hospital at Downstate has been accepted for membership in The National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI). The Children’s Hospital at Downstate is a hospital within a hospital, part of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University’s University Hospital at Downstate.
"Participation in NACHRI offers us a vast communications network with people who understand children: their needs, their treatment and the financing of their care," said Stanley Fisher, MD, professor and chair of pediatrics. "We look forward to bringing our leadership and special insights to the association and joining in the imperative for stronger advocacy on behalf of all children."
The Children’s Hospital at Downstate was admitted to the association as a full-voting institutional member, joining 217 members that include children's hospitals, large pediatric units of medical centers, and related organizations.
"We welcome The Children’s Hospital at Downstate to the family of care givers devoted to improving the health of children, and we look forward to its active involvement," said NACHRI President and CEO Lawrence A. McAndrews.
"Because of their singular focus on children, hospitals like The Children’s Hospital at Downstate are able to identify emerging trends and problems associated with the health of children and to develop treatment programs drawing on the expertise of pediatric researchers and practitioners."
While children’s hospitals represent less than five percent of all hospitals, they account for more than 40 percent of inpatient days and 50 percent of costs for all children hospitalized in the United States. Across the nation, children’s hospitals handle approximately 2.3 million emergency department visits and 13 million outpatient visits every year.
The Children’s Hospital at Downstate has approximately 1,700 pediatric admissions annually and 2,000 newborn deliveries. It makes use of 62 beds and includes a pediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU), step-down unit, a Level III neonatal ICU, and a transitional care nursery. The hospital handles referrals for advanced procedures, including pediatric surgery, neurosurgery, renal transplantation, and neonatal intensive care. Other special services include the Child Life Program, one of the first hospital-based pediatric programs to promote healing through play, and the Infant and Child Learning Center, one of the first in New York to serve children born with medical and development problems.
Founded in 1968, NACHRI's primary roles are advocacy for children and children’s hospitals, public policy analysis, education for its members and the public, and research. The association maintains extensive data on children's health in general and descriptive data on all its members and the conditions they treat. Some of the issues NACHRI addresses include uninsured children, children dependent on Medicaid, injury prevention, child abuse and neglect, quality of care, patient safety and seriously ill children.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.