Pediatric Supportive Services
Kids need special care. HopeHealth’s Pediatric Supportive Services provide an additional layer of care and support for children and young adults with a life-limiting illness, and their families.
Special Support for Kids and Young Adults
If your child, teen or young adult is facing a serious illness, they need a special approach to care. Your family needs extra support too.
HopeHealth Pediatric Supportive Services are devoted to this work. Our pediatric experts understand the unique needs of children who have a life-limiting illness, and the needs of their parents, siblings and other loved ones. We are by your side through important decisions, and always honor your hopes and preferences. We help your child and family maintain hope, find relief and live the best quality of life.
Patients up to age 21 are eligible to receive this comfort-focused care (known as hospice) alongside other treatments for their illness, lending additional support when children and families often need it most. We offer this care at home and in hospitals, long term care facilities and the HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center.
To learn more, call (844) 671-4673 or email our team.
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How We Help
HopeHealth’s Pediatric Supportive Services provide hospice care, an additional layer of care focused on comfort and quality of life for children and young adults with life-limiting illness. For patients up to age 21, these services can often be provided alongside other curative treatments.
Our services include:
- Home visits by nurses, CNAs, social work, chaplains and specially trained volunteers
- 24/7 on-call nurse to assist with symptom management
- Education on identifying and managing distressing symptoms
- Emotional and spiritual support for patients, siblings and parents/guardians
- Anticipatory guidance around disease progression
- Individualized and age appropriate grief support for families for up to 13 months following the loss of a child
- Grief support group programs tailored to the needs of different family members for as long as you need them
How therapy dogs bring cheer to hospice care
Our Approach to Care
If your child receives care from HopeHealth’s Pediatric Supportive Services, we make your family an integral part of the care team.
We partner with your family to manage your child’s symptoms and medical care. In addition to expert care, we focus on honoring your preferences and empowering your child and family. We recognize that as your child’s condition changes, your family has a special need for quality time together.
We provide unique emotional and spiritual support. Our chaplains, social workers, grief support counselors and child life specialists help kids – including siblings – work through their feelings with techniques especially for their age and interests. We’re experienced in helping parents and caregivers cope with the stress of an ill child.
We are an advocate for your child’s care. Our team can help you understand how your child’s illness may progress, and help you navigate difficult decisions about when to continue or end certain therapies. We always work closely and carefully with your child’s other doctors.
Eligibility & Coverage
Patients can receive hospice care when two physicians determine that they’re eligible. These physicians are typically the child’s doctor and a hospice medical director. For children who continue to receive curative therapies, this care can continue for years. There’s no cut-off as long as they remain eligible for hospice services.
Unlike adults, patients up to age 21 can continue curative therapies at the same time as comfort-focused care (hospice care). There’s no need to choose between comfort and curative measures. This is called concurrent care.
Care is covered by most insurance plans, including Medicaid. No matter your family’s insurance or financial situation, HopeHealth will work with you to ensure your child gets the services they need.
Getting Started with Pediatric Supportive Services
Reach out today. For many families, HopeHealth’s Pediatric Supportive Services quickly become an important source of hope and comfort. The earlier you connect with us, the better.
We understand how difficult it can be to take this step. Many people put it off, because they only associate hospice care with death and dying. Keep in mind that our work is also about quality of life. We aim to prevent and relieve suffering, lend support, and help your child and family live the very best life they can live.
Because of the many unique ways that we can help, we encourage you to contact us as early as possible. For a map of our service area click here.
For information and support, call (844) 671-4673 or email our team.
Our Team
Our Pediatric Supportive Services team is led by Rebecca MacDonell-Yilmaz, MD, MPH, a board-certified pediatrician and hospice and palliative medicine physician who is also board-certified in pediatric hematology/oncology. Having completed her residency and fellowships at Hasbro Children’s Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital, she has developed deep relationships with the hospitals that provide care to children in our region.
Our team also includes nurses, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains, grief counselors, child life specialists and trained volunteers who know how to help families cope with the stress and emotional demands of having a child facing serious illness. We are devoted to bringing these young patients hope and happiness, and helping their families make the most of every moment together.
HopeHealth is the major teaching affiliate for hospice and palliative medicine for The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. We are part of the HopeHealth family of services.
