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Newark, NJ— Now children receiving chemotherapy at Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ) can use their imaginations to feel transported to many wonderful places in the world with the help of a completely renovated Infusion Room with an international theme.
On Wednesday, July 21, 2010, an opening celebration was held for the recently renovated Valerie Fund Infusion Room at the Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at CHoNJ. The pediatric Infusion Room is an outpatient area where children receive chemotherapy treatment.
The Infusion Room was completely renovated to make it more child-friendly and to create a pleasant atmosphere for children and families that is comforting during treatments. It was given an international theme that reflects the diverse patient population and backgrounds of the medical staff. Wall murals depict scenes from Antarctica, a beach, the Grand Canyon, and a tropical rain forest. The $165,000 renovation includes new furniture, a TV, a special ceiling that looks like the sky, and a floor that looks like the earth, and improved working areas for Child Life Specialists to help them provide enhanced care.
John Brennan, MD, Executive Director of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, recognizes the generous donors who made this room available to young patients.
“Children and families face many challenges when a child undergoes cancer treatment,” says Dr. Brennan. “Providing a tranquil space to make that experience less stressful helps in the healing process for the entire family. We are grateful for all the donations that made this renovation possible.”
Renovations were made possible by donations from The Valerie Fund, Millennium Associates, Andrew S. Novick, MD and Ellen S. Novick, MD, and Meghan Gambichler, a pediatric cancer patient who raised over $20,000 for the Valerie Fund site at CHoNJ through neighborhood car washes, walkathons, and selling bracelets and t-shirts.
Young patients are thrilled by the new area and the round-the-world theme.
“One little girl ran into see the Infusion Room after it reopened and was so excited that she came out to get her mother,” related Holly Gauthier, Vice President of Development at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. “She made her mother close her eyes and led her in to see the beautiful surprise.”
The Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorder at CHoNJ uses a multidisciplinary approach to provide comprehensive care for children and young adults with cancer. The Center provides medical and psycho-social care at the time of diagnosis, during treatment and long-term care after treatment. You can reach an attending pediatric hematologist/ oncologist for referrals at (973)322-2800.
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, a 673-bed regional care teaching hospital, provides comprehensive health care to its local communities and is a major referral and treatment center for the northern New Jersey metropolitan area. With more than 800 physicians, 3,200 employees and 150 volunteers, the Medical Center has over 300,000 outpatient visits and 25,000 admissions annually. For more information, please call Newark Beth Israel Medical Center at (973) 926-7000, or visit www.barnabashealth.org. For physician referral information, please call 1-888-724-7123. Follow us on Twitter: get real time news from the Saint Barnabas Health Care System at www.twitter.com/barnabas_health.
Date: July 21, 2010
Contact: Beth Salamon
Public Relations
Phone: 973.322.4926
esalamon@barnabashealth.org
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