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Your Child’s Place Pediatric center provides special care to kids with medical needs

6 min read
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Talisa Webb, a child care assistant, reads to Katherine and Braydon at Your Child’s Place in Washington.

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Michelle Lester, assistant director at Your Child’s Place in Washington, checks on Max, who is lying in a MamaRoo, a high-tech infant seat donated by 4moms that replicates parents’ natural swaying motion.

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Rachel McIntyre, director of Your Child’s Place in Washington, shares a moment with Katherine.

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Ryan Leeper sits on the lap of Cortney Brock, who is his favorite caregiver at Your Child’s Place in Washington.

When Your Child’s Place had what the other youngsters considered a newborn arrive in January, they made a tiny barrier around the infant, marveling at his small size.

“They just wanted to stare,” said Rachel McIntyre, who has served as director of Your Child’s Place for the past year. “They all really interact well with each other.”

And that is part of the beauty of Your Child’s Place, a pediatric day care center on North Avenue in Washington for children who require medical care.

“The alternative is home care, but they don’t get the socialization at home,” McIntyre said.

Ryan Leeper, who turned 2 years old on April 13, has been attending Your Child’s Place since he was 2 months old, and his parents, Chris and Lauren Leeper of South Strabane Township, couldn’t be happier with the care and peer support their young son receives.

“How awesome is it that when he gets to day care, he literally takes his jacket off before he’s in the door?” Lauren said. “We love it.”

Ryan, who was featured in an article in the Observer-Reporter in April 2016, has Moebius syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that leaves him unable to smile, frown, blink or move his eyes from side to side. He also was born with webbed fingers on his left hand and an underdeveloped chest muscle, and he had trouble sucking, making it difficult to eat.

I was more comfortable having them there with Ryan than his grandmas at home,” Lauren said. “I had really bad post-partum depression, and when I found out they were nurses, my hesitation pretty much went away.

“Not only does he get the medical part, but he is getting the interaction. He gets along so well with the other kids. The girls keep things structured. To me, it’s quite amazing. It’s like a regular day care, and they do all the medical needs, too.”

Your Child’s Place opened in Washington in 2007, and is one of three pediatric centers in Southwestern Pennsylvania that provide skilled nursing care for children 6 weeks to 8 years old who have serious ongoing illnesses or chronic conditions that require nursing intervention, The staff deals with seizure disorders and feeding tubes, and kids who are immune suppressed, receive medication multiple times a day, and need feeding assistance and monitoring.

Your Child’s Place was modeled after Child’s Way in the Bloomfield section of Pittsburgh and is licensed by the state Department of Health and Department of Human Services.

“We’re with them almost as much as their parents are,” McIntyre said, referring to her staff. “It’s really great for the parents. It’s a great burden off of them.

“A lot of parents know each other, so it serves as a support group of sorts for them, too.”

Your Child’s Place can accommodate 30 children full time and employs three full-time nurses and one part-timer, plus a child are assistant. At least two nurses are on site at all times, and sometimes staff will accompany children to their off-site appointments. Every morning, each child undergoes a complete medical assessment, and any child who has a 101-degree temperature is sent home.

“It’s a reliable form of care,” said McIntyre, who previously worked in neonatal ICU for five years at Children’s Hospital and as a triage nurse in a pediatric office.

The facility is well-equipped as well. It has a full crash cart, medical cribs to maximize safety and comfort, centralized oxygen and suction hook-ups in multiple areas of each room, a treatment room for blood draws and tracheotomy changes and a special room for more advanced medical intervention.

Warm water even flows underneath the floors to assuage youngsters who have a sensitivity to cold, and lighting throughout the building is designed to gradually brighten and not buzz or flicker to prevent youngsters from being startled.

Washington Health System’s Children’s Therapy Center is next door to provide additional therapy if needed, and “if we need more help, Washington Hospital is nearby,” McIntyre said.

Your Child’s Place also has partnered with Early Intervention and the Intermediate Unit, where some children attend half days of school.

On site, Your Child’s Place promotes early education, using flash cards, organizing themed crafts and engaging in other planned activities. Outdoor and enclosed playgrounds feature equipment designed for children with special needs.

“As soon as they get in the door, it’s amazing,” McIntyre said. “They think they’re going into a hospital setting, and they’re not.”

The bonds and friendships that are created at Your Child’s Place are special, too.

Ryan, for example, has developed a close relationship with Cortney Brock, one of the nurses at Your Child’s Place.

She really cares for him. He has a special place in his heart for Cortney,” Lauren said. “When we took her up cookies and Happy Birthday balloons, she got tears in her eyes.”

McIntyre said all the kids have their favorites. “Our nurses stick around,” she said. “They really get attached to the kids.”

Ryan also recently had surgery on his left hand, and the staff at Your Child’s Place was a constant source of comfort and support for the family.

“They are so incredibly sweet,” Lauren said. “The day of his surgery, they were texting prayers and good luck. The girls have been so good.”

To be eligible to attend Your Child’s Place, children must have a doctor’s referral, primary insurance approval and secondary insurance verification. Self-pay is available, with the fee based on the level of care. Services prescribed by children’s physicians are billed to medical insurance. Parents also must be employed or attend school.

For more information about Your Child’s Place, visit http://yourchildsplace.org/ or call 724-223-7801. Business hours are 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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