Pediatric Center of Excellence
A child suffering a traumatic injury or disease needs a loving and supportive atmosphere as well as treatment by highly-trained specialists practicing state-of-the-art medicine. Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center furnishes both, helping young people and their families heal emotionally as well as physically.
Serving the community for over a century, Rancho came into prominence with its pioneering techniques to treat young polio victims in the 1950's. Since then, Rancho's reputation has steadily grown. Until today it is considered one of the premier rehabilitation centers in the country. In fact, Rancho has consistently been voted among the top rehabilitation hospitals in the country by U.S. News and World Report.
Pediatric Conditions Treated
Rancho treats children ranging in age from infancy to 21 years of age suffering a variety of catastrophic conditions, including:
- Brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Ventilator-dependency
- Tracheostomy tubes
- Neuromuscular disorders
- Various birth defects
The Rehabilitation Team
Rancho's university affiliations and research centers help bring together a world-renowned, comprehensive rehabilitation team to provide young patients with specialized treatment, using the most advanced methods available.
Every patient is assigned a team led by a physician specializing in pediatric medicine. Each member of the team has been trained to deal with the special needs of children, and remains involved with the patient during the entire rehabilitation stay and through outpatient follow-up clinics. These pediatric rehab specialists take a long-term perspective of each patient's condition, considering both growth and development over the entire life course when evaluating treatment options.
The team is comprised of: a pediatrician; a registered nurse; speech, occupational, physical and recreation therapists; social worker; nutritional services; and a case manager. Medical and surgical specialists are available for consultation. Psychological services are provided on a case-by-case basis, including sophisticated neuro-psychological testing.
Children's Orthopedic Surgery
Working in conjunction with the pediatric team, Children's Orthopedic Surgery includes the treatment of cerebral palsy, and participates with pediatrics in the muscle disease clinic, a nationally recognized muscular dystrophy program which serves adults as well as children. In addition, Rancho has been recognized as a pioneer in children's orthopedic research for more than 30 years.
Rehabilitation Treatment
Each day, six days a week, patients admitted to the hospital for rehabilitation participate in at least three hours of formalized therapy sessions which may include physical, speech or occupational therapy. In addition, most children also participate in recreation therapy activities. For the remainder of the day, the rehabilitation nurse coordinates the plan, schedules other activities and administers to patient needs.
"I Can Do"
An upbeat atmosphere encourages children to take a positive "I can do" attitude towards life. Psychologists and social workers address the emotional and behavioral needs of children requiring help to deal with their condition.
Evaluation Progress
Patient medical and rehabilitation progress is evaluated on an ongoing basis. Neurologic studies including MRI, CT, SPECT, EEG, and EMG assess disability and prognosis. Gait patterns and deviations can be analyzed in the Pathokinesiology Laboratory to help staff plan for surgery or adaptive bracing. Outcome measures for rehabilitation progress are assessed by the FIM for children 8 years of age or older and by the FRESNO (Functional Rehabilitation Evaluation of Sensoy-Neurologic Outcomes) for children under 8 years of age.
Family Participation
The family is an integral member of the rehabilitation team. Family members are encouraged to participate in the care of the hospitalized child. Information and staff support are provided at family conferences. Relatives are offered the option of staying in a new apartment-like housing on Rancho grounds during treatment. Before discharge, the family is instructed by all members of the rehabilitation team on how to assist patients at home.
Academic Needs
The Downey Unified School District supplies bedside teachers to work with the children during their inpatient stay
Recreation Therapy
- An accessible playground, a playroom, an activity center and rehabilitation therapy space on the unit are filled with toys and video games that are available for patient use.
- Charitable organizations hold frequent parties and sponsor activities for pediatric patients.
- Recreation therapy staff take patients on trips to the mall, movies, Disneyland or other outings to help them build confidence and integrate into the community. Family members are welcome.
Nationally Recognized Wheelchair Sports Program
Rancho's sports programs for inpatients and outpatients have been recognized nationally for their excellence. Rancho coaches adolescent and adult sports teams in all competitive wheelchair sports. Individual athletes as well as teams trained at Rancho have excelled in tournaments throughout the country in wheelchair basketball, tennis, hockey and baseball. All Rancho patients are encouraged to participate free of charge. The programs are funded by hospital auxiliaries.
- Just for fun - Children of all ages with disabilities are welcome to join in games and acquire athletic skill under the supervision of a specially-trained adapted physical education coach. Sports-related recreational activities also help build a spirit of camaraderie among participants.
Outpatient Clinic
To help our young patients continue on their road to recovery after discharge, follow-up care is provided in outpatient clinic by the same pediatrician they had in the hospital.
Other Outpatient Programs
- CART (Center for Applied Rehabilitation Technology) - introduces severely disabled patients to high tech equipment that will assist them in performing daily tasks in their everyday environment.
- Seating Center - assess the patient's needs and offers specialized services to help the patient function independently in a safe and comfortable wheelchair position.
- Support groups - assist patients and their loved ones in sessions led by social service professionals and community organizations.
Admission Requirements
Rancho's Center of Excellence in Pediatric Rehabilitation accepts referrals from hospitals, physicians, and medical groups, health plans, healthcare and social service professionals and family members. To determine eligibility for admission to our program, contact our Centralized Admission and Referral Office at (562) 401-6554. Our referral office will arrange for our liaison nurse to conduct a clinical evaluation of the patient prior to admission to Rancho.
Payment
We are authorized to accept California Children's Services, Medicare, MediCal, Worker's Compensation, and direct payment and most medical insurance plans.
For More Information
Please call the Rancho Los Amigos Centralized Admission
and Referral Office at:
1-877-RANCHO-1
Fax (562) 401-7590
E-Mail: Admission@rancho.org
Pediatric Center of Excellence
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
7601 E. Imperial Highway, Downey, CA 90242