Blythedale Reaching Beyond its Walls to Provide Therapy Services and Health Education to Schools

April 6, 2009 - PRLog -- VALHALLA, NY  --- For more than a century, Blythedale Children’s Hospital has been a leader in developing innovative, multi-disciplinary inpatient and ambulatory programs for children with a variety of medical concerns.

Today, Blythedale is reaching beyond its walls to become a valuable community resource that is bringing expert therapy services and health education programs into school classrooms throughout the region.

Two years ago, Blythedale began contracting with school districts for on-site Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy for students. The program now serves more than a dozen school districts in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam counties. In 2008, the program provided more than 21,800 therapy sessions at the various school districts including Rye, Nyack, Greenburgh 7, Scarsdale, White Plains, Irvington and UCP of Westchester to name a few.

Blythedale Chief Operating Officer Maureen Desimone, who implemented the school therapy outsourcing program, said that because the school districts only pay for the services they use, they can reduce their costs which is critically important in today’s difficult economy. She noted that Blythedale is now outsourcing social workers, psychologists, nurse practitioners and per diem nurses.

Blythedale, which has the largest therapy department in New York State dedicated solely to providing services to children, offers a wealth of experience in occupational, physical and speech therapy services. With more than 80 pediatric therapists on staff, Blythedale can provide treatment for children of any age with varied medical, developmental or therapeutic needs. Some of the diagnostic and treatment services include fine motor coordination, therapeutic feeding, speech-language pathology, treatment and management for hearing loss or balance problems, respiratory care, recreational therapy, exercise and flexibility programs and cognitive-adaptive skills.

Blythedale is also bringing valuable nutrition and injury prevention programs to school classrooms throughout the region.

In a major initiative to help reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity and prevent its long-term negative health effects, Blythedale launched a school-based nutrition program called “Eat Well, Be Well”. Funded by a grant from Kohl’s Department Stores, the “Eat Well, Be Well” program teaches healthy eating habits to children by providing general nutrition guidelines to students, parents and school faculty. The program also offers experts in nutrition and health-education to speak with local parenting groups, PTA’s and school personnel. Last year, the program was expanded to include adolescents.  

Since the program began in 2007, Blythedale Registered Dietician Marie Roth has visited classrooms in 25 school districts in Westchester and Putnam counties reaching over 26,000 students. The program has proven to be so popular that Blythedale has scheduled visits to school districts through 2010.    

“The response to this program has been overwhelming. There is a growing concern among students and teachers about childhood obesity and the need to establish healthy eating habits at an early age. The Eat Well, Be Well program addresses this important issue in a way that is both educational and fun,” said Ms. Roth.  

Lisa Doty, Assistant Principal of the Springhurst Elementary School in Dobbs Ferry, said
the “Eat Well, Be Well” program has had a strong positive impact on the students. “This is a fantastic program. Now the children go home and have conversations with their parents about good nutrition. As a result, we’re seeing the kids bringing healthier snacks to school for lunch,” said Ms. Doty. “This program also supports the changes and improvements that we’re making to the school food service,” she added.    

Kim Potter, who is the school nurse for the Osborn Elementary School in Rye, said the Eat Well, Be Well program has been a big success in educating children about the value of good nutrition. “The kids really enjoy it. It’s a hand’s on program that’s very real for them. Marie Roth does a terrific job,” she said.

Ms. Potter also praised Blythedale’s Injury Prevention Program which has also been presented at the Osborn Elementary School. “That is an absolutely wonderful program. The helmet safety program is such an effective class. The children are really engaged,“ she said.

The Injury Prevention Program, which is also funded by Kohl’s Department Stores, has so far reached more than 5,600 students in over a dozen school districts in Westchester. The program consists of a series of educational and recreational activities aimed at children, school personnel, families and caregivers. Activities include interactive workshops and lectures, a bicycle rally and safety clinics that will provide participants with the skills, knowledge and motivation they need to stay safe at home, at school and at play.

Ferzeen Bhana, Assistant Principal of the Brookside School in Ossining, said Blythedale’s Injury Prevention program is very popular with the students. “One of the things that really hooked them was the Jello Brain demonstration,” she said referring to a demonstration where a “brain” made from molded Jello is dropped protected by a bicycle helmet and then dropped without the protection. “This really impresses the kids on the importance of wearing helmets. They become very focused and engaged,” said Ms. Bhana.

Another popular aspect of the program is an essay writing assignment in which students discuss the importance of injury prevention. “The essays we received were amazing. One student wrote a story about how her father was severely injured while rollerblading without a helmet,” said Ms. Bhana.

In addition to offering its Injury Prevention program to local schools, Blythedale is also the local coalition leader for SAFE KIDS Worldwide – the country’s oldest nationwide childhood injury prevention campaign. Working in collaboration with a wide variety of area organizations, Westchester SAFE KIDS/Blythedale Children’s Hospital seeks to reduce the number of preventable childhood injuries in the Westchester area. The group helps coordinate child car seat safety events, develop individualized and developmentally appropriate educational programs to meet children’s safety needs; organizes bicycle safety events and provides speakers to address all aspects of injury prevention.

For more information about Blythedale’s school-based therapy services, Eat Well, Be Well and Injury Prevention programs, please contact Lena Cavanna, Director of Community Relations at (914) 592-7138 ext. 374.

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About Blythedale: Founded more than 100 years ago, Blythedale Children's Hospital has been a leader in developing innovative, multi-disciplinary inpatient and ambulatory programs, as well as a community resource for children with a variety of medical concerns and their families. Through its inpatient and day hospital programs, Blythedale Children's Hospital treats more than 300 children daily, making it one of the largest providers of children's services in New York State. In addition, the Hospital provides diagnosis and treatment for hundreds of outpatients with a wide range of medical difficulties. For more information about Blythedale Children's Hospital, visit www.blythedale.org