A Publication of Schneider Children’s Hospital | Fall 2008 | www.SchneiderChildrensHospital.org 25th y Anniversar Edition INSIDE: 25 Years of Caring for Kids 1954-1982 How It All Began … Long Island Jewish Medical Center Department of Pediatrics Children’s Medical Fund of New York Founded by Judge Bertram Harnett, the Children’s Medical Fund (CMF) has a membership that consists of parents, physicians, civic leaders and other dedicated people. CMF played a key role in the planning process, raising building funds and advocacy for the children’s hospital and continues its work as a major supporter today. Long Island Jewish Medical Center Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center opened its doors in May 1954. The five-story, 215-bed facility was built with the most modern equipment and won the Modern Hospital of the Year Award in 1955. Department of Pediatrics In the beginning, the Department of Pediatrics consisted of 30 beds and a “preemie nursery” that accommodated eight babies. By the late 1960’s, the department grew to 54 beds, including the first four-bed Intensive Care Unit on Long Island, and a 25-bed Premature Unit. An 18-bed Adolescent Unit was added in 1969. Philip Lanzkowsky, MD, was appointed chairman of pediatrics in March 1970, and shortly thereafter thoughts of building a children’s hospital began to germinate. Dr. Lanzkowsky and Judge Bertram Harnett started the long, challenging road to the development of Schneider Children’s Hospital. Members of CMF’s Women’s Division at a potential site for the children’s hospital. “We don’t want it … We don’t need it” Building the children’s hospital stirred political controversy in the 1970’s. The struggle was a bitter, fierce and persistent fight. It was in the press, in our suburban papers, Newsday, even the New York Times. It was on television both locally and nationally. We testified before agency after agency as they were created by each new bureaucratic organization. Children’s Hospital Approved Finally, in June 1978, permission to build a children’s hospital was approved by the State Hospital Review Committee of the State of New York Department of Health. Pediatric playroom, circa 1960’s. 1954 1970 1971 1978 Long Island Jewish Medical Center opens Philip Lanzkowsky, MD, appointed chairman of pediatrics First pediatric transport performed, using hospital station wagon Approval granted to build the children’s hospital 2 Schneider Children’s Hospital • New Hyde Park, New York 1983 Children Celebrate the Nearing Completion of the Children’s Hospital in 1983 The children’s hospital opened on September 25, 1983. Its original name was the Children’s Medical Center of New York and then it came to be simply called the Children’s Medical Center. Before it opened, the name was changed to Schneider Children’s Hospital, in honor of its benefactors Helen and Irving Schneider. At completion, the sleek five-story glass and cement building consisting of 150 beds sat gracefully on the Long Island Jewish-Hillside Medical Center campus in New Hyde Park. The sensitivity of children’s needs was paramount. Light streamed from the courtyard garden and from a skylight that looked like a giant building toy. The walls were painted with bold splashes of color and there were brightly decorated waiting rooms, play areas and a schoolroom for inpatients. Time to Celebrate After 13 years of hard work, planning and justifying the need over and over — the day had finally come. Under a sparkling September sun, more than 1,500 guests gathered for the celebration of the new Schneider Children’s Hospital. Kites bounced gaily in the sky, children ran around with balloons, clowns wandered through the crowds and the US Merchant Marine Band sent spirits soaring. Governor Mario Cuomo, the Schneider family and Donna and David Edlinger (hematology patients) cut the ribbon for the new Schneider Children’s Hospital. It was a glorious day! 1980 1981 1982 1983 Groundbreaking of the children’s hospital Construction begins for the new children’s hospital Philip Lanzkowsky, MD, named chief of staff of the new children’s hospital Schneider Children’s Hospital opens its doors Schneider Children’s Hospital • New Hyde Park, New York 3 1983 Twenty Five Years Moving Day: November 1, 1983 Infant/Pediatric Transport Program Back in the 1970’s, infants and children were transported in the back of a converted station wagon. Today, state-of-the art ambulances staffed 24/7 by dedicated teams of pediatric critical care specialists transport nearly 3,000 infants and children each year. C-Day was Children’s Day — the day when patients were moved from LIJ into their new beds in the Schneider Children’s Hospital (SCH). The hospital was open for business. Building on the Dream The newly opened children’s hospital really was a dream come true. Children were no longer bedded in the hallways, no longer receiving chemotherapy in adult waiting areas. Pediatric care could be taken to another level and the hospital wasted no time doing so. Satellite Centers Consultation centers were opened in several distant areas from SCH that offer specialized care for children right in their own community. These centers are located at Commack, Hewlett, Flushing, Williamsburg and Bensonhurst. Psychosocial Programs Staff Once the hospital was open, the first Child Life program on Long Island was created with educational art, music, pets and clown programs. Magnificent art donated by the Schneider family filled the halls, transforming the hospital into a child-friendly atmosphere. Practicing the art of healing, our specially trained physicians, nurses and health professionals provide skilled medical treatment for their patients. They are united in their love for children and their passionate desire to make a difference in the lives of young people. Clinical Programs In the 25 years that SCH has been open, major programs have been developed that have attracted top pediatric specialists from all over the country and abroad to join our staff. SCH has been in the forefront of adopting and, in some instances, initiating new treatments and procedures in neonatology, bone marrow transplantation, cardiology, neurology and laparoscopic surgery in children, to name just a few. It has the largest training program in the nation. 1985 1987 1988 1995 Ronald McDonald House opens on the grounds of Schneider Children’s Hospital Keith Haring sculpture installed on the front lawn of the hospital Bone Marrow Transplant Program established First pediatric consultation center opens in Hauppauge 4 Schneider Children’s Hospital • New Hyde Park, New York of Caring for Kids The Art of Schneider Children’s Hospital The children’s hospital has taken on a different dimension: It has also become a children’s art gallery and a children’s museum. As far back as 1970, SCH began to design the hospital with insight and compassion. A place where children are made well — which is most important — it is a place where smiles, laughter and cheer drive out sadness and fear. 2008 US News & World Report Ranks SCH Among the Best For the second consecutive year, US News & World Report ranked SCH among the top children’s hospitals in the nation. This is testament to the quality of care and compassion that is the standard given at Schneider Children’s Hospital. 1997 2000 2004 2008 Schneider Children’s Hospital designated New York State Level I Trauma Center In the wake of 9/11, Pediatric Bereavement Center opens the Center of HOPE Children’s Advocacy Center opens in Queens (affiliated with NYPD and NYC District Attorney’s and Mayor’s offices) SCH named one of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals for the second year in a row Schneider Children’s Hospital • New Hyde Park, New York 5 2008 Into the Future Building Twenty-five years later, Schneider Children’s Hospital is now bursting at the seams. The demand for our services is growing because of the increased number of patients and the state-of-the-art treatment required for these children. Scheduled to open in late 2008 are the following: a cutting-edge Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with 24 new beds, which will increase the NICU to 68 beds, one of the largest units in the nation; a state-of-the-art Chemotherapy Unit; and a 20,000-square-foot, four-story atrium that will contain a winter garden, performance stage, interactive games and a virtual children’s art gallery. Below: Conceptual renderings of the grand lobby and atrium. Rendering of the new Chemotherapy Unit. Bursting with Pride … Bursting at the Seams: The Campaign for Schneider Children’s Hospital No parent ever wants to imagine that their child might one day require medical attention due to injury or illness. But life is full of unexpected challenges, and it’s impossible to predict when an emergency could arise. That’s why it’s so important to have a nationally renowned pediatric hospital like Schneider Children’s Hospital (SCH) close to home. For nearly 30 years SCH has been tending to the youngest and most vulnerable patients throughout our region and beyond, but now we must expand to ensure a healthier future for our children, their children and generations to come. That’s why we’ve embarked on a $130 million fundraising campaign to enhance our original building and construct the brand-new, four-story, 100,000-square-foot Blumenfeld Center for Pediatric Medicine — and that’s where we need you! We’re relying on the generosity of compassionate community members and friends who, like SCH, are deeply concerned about the quality and availability of children’s healthcare. You can make a lasting difference today by supporting Schneider Children’s Hospital as we build for tomorrow. CHILDREN CAN’T REALLY BUILD A HOSPITAL, BUT YOU CAN To make a gift now or for more information about our plans to expand Schneider Children’s Hospital, contact Randee Bloch at (516) 465-2551 or rbloch@nshs.edu. Or visit us online at http://support.northshorelij.com/SCH_Home. 6 Schneider Children’s Hospital • New Hyde Park, New York Our Future 2011 Phase II of construction is scheduled to begin soon and will consist of a four-story inpatient tower — the Blumenfeld Center for Pediatric Medicine. Joining the glass-enclosed atrium, a bright and airy new lobby will welcome children and their families. This phase of construction will provide 100,000 square feet of new space to include a 25-bed Medical/Surgical Unit, a 25-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, a state-of-the-art imaging center and Long Island’s first stand-alone Rudolph Pediatric Emergency Center. The new children’s-only emergency department, with is own radiology suite and computed tomography (CT) scanner, will be a real benefit to sick children and their parents throughout the region. Construction will be complete in 2011. Above: View of the Blumenfeld Center for Pediatric Medicine with adjacent existing SCH building. Below: View of new Rudolph Pediatric Emergency Center. Right: Drawing of new nursing station and waiting room. Lower right: Patient room in new patient tower. Schneider Children’s Hospital • New Hyde Park, New York 7 Need to find a d o c to r ? 1 - 8 8 8 - 3 2 1 - D O C S SCH Book Marks Silver Anniversary Why Schneider Children’s Hospital? Philip Lanzkowsky, MD, recently wrote How It All Began: The History of a Children’s Hospital. As leader of SCH since its inception 25 years ago, Dr. Lanzkowsky has a unique perspective on how the facility developed from the Pediatrics Department at LIJ Medical Center to its own full-fledged entity. How It All Began tells how, at first, SCH was opposed by community and medical leaders, but with persistence these doubters were won over. The book shows in fascinating detail how pediatrics has developed from the 1960’s and 1970’s until now — and where the future of SCH lies. It is not to be missed. Copies of the limited-edition book are $65. To order, call (718) 470-3201. About the Author our community’s only children’s hospital It’s a convenient, central location for your child’s medical, surgical, dental, psychiatric and educational needs. International Recognition All staff is specially trained in pediatrics. The hospital’s specialists and patients come here from all over the world. educational center Access our Web page for a wealth of information about childhood diseases. Positive learning experience www.Schneider Childrens Hospital.org Our playrooms, school, Clown Program, Pet Therapy Program, Art Program and Music Program make the hospital experience a positive one. On the cutting edge Leading-edge equipment is designed specifically for children. Philip Lanzkowsky, MD, born in Cape Town, South Africa, is executive director and chief of staff at Schneider Children’s Hospital and professor of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He was instrumental in the development, planning and the formulation of the philosophy for the Schneider Children’s Hospital and was instrumental in its implementation. He has been the chief of staff of the hospital since it opened. In your backyard Satellite treatment centers provide specialists close to home in Commack, Hewlett, Flushing, Brooklyn and Manhattan. we trained your doctors Doctors come here from all over the country for valuable training. NORTH SHORE-LIJ HEALTH SYSTEM HOSPITALS NORTH SHORE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL • LIJ MEDICAL CENTER • SCHNEIDER CHILDREN’S • ZUCKER HILLSIDE • FRANKLIN • GLEN COVE • SYOSSET • PLAINVIEW • SOUTHSIDE • HUNTINGTON • FOREST HILLS • STATEN ISLAND UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL • AFFILIATIONS: PENINSULA • NASSAU UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER North Shore-Long island jewish Health System Schneider Children’s Hospital 269-01 76th Avenue New Hyde Park, NY 11040 Postmaster: Please deliver within November 3 and 7. innovative research Ongoing, up-to-the-minute research on children ensures leading-edge care. Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID NSLIJHS Michael Dowling President and CEO North Shore-LIJ Health System Philip Lanzkowsky, MD, SCD, FRCP Executive Director Terry Lynam VP, Public Relations Maria Conforti Publications Editor Laurie Locastro Marketing Coordinator Kids First is published by Schneider Children’s Hospital. The information is intended to inform and educate about subjects pertinent to health, not as a substitute for consultation with a personal physician. © 2008. Printed in the U.S.A. Printed on Recyclable Paper 899M