NEW ORLEANS – Today, Ochsner Hospital for Children announced plans for the Michael R. Boh Center for Child Development. The Boh Center for Child Development will offer personalized, family-centered patient care to children with neuro-muscular, or physical disabilities, and neuro-cognitive, behavioral and communication-related conditions such as autism. The facility is, in part, generously funded by Ann and Robert Boh in loving memory of their son, Michael, and is expected to open in early 2018, hospital reps said.
The Boh Center for Child Development will fill a critical need for specialized pediatric care in Louisiana, hospital reps said. One in six children has a developmental disability and one in 68 has autism. Nearly 20 percent of all children in Louisiana have special healthcare needs. The Boh Center for Child Development will be the only facility to offer this type of specialty, comprehensive care in the region under one roof.
“The Michael R. Boh Center for Child Development satisfies a need felt by so many families in the Gulf South and beyond,” said William Lennarz, MD, system chair of pediatrics, Ochsner Health System. “Ochsner Hospital for Children has partnered with national leaders, healthcare providers, design experts and parents to create a place that supports patients’ unique needs and eases challenges for families. Bringing this level of care to our community is an important step in our journey of improving healthcare access and delivery.”
Ann and Robert Boh understand the need to provide world-class care for children with developmental challenges and complex medical conditions, hospital reps said. Challenged by cystic fibrosis, hearing loss and mental health issues, Michael passed away in 2009 at the young age of 23.
“This program is important because the center will not only provide treatment for children, but will also provide families with information, support and guidance to help move forward,” said Ann and Robert Boh. “Our hope is that the center will become a focal point in our community. How wonderful to have access to the help you might need for your children and grandchildren right here in our own area.”
The Boh Center for Child Development and a healing garden will be new, key features of Ochsner’s pediatric campus on Jefferson Highway, which currently features an inpatient unit, cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU), pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), primary care and subspecialty care. The facility was designed with sensitivity to the unique and complex needs of children who are patients, as well as their parents and siblings, hospital reps said. Features of the completed campus will include easy access for physically disabled children, larger exam rooms and doorways than normal, child friendly common spaces and sensory and therapeutic observation rooms.
The Michael R. Boh Center for Child Development will feature a number of services and programs including:
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Behavioral Pediatrics
• Cerebral Palsy
• Developmental Delay Assessment Clinic
• Feeding Disorders
• High Risk Developmental Follow-Up Clinic for Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
• Intellectual Disabilities and Education
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Speech & Language Therapy
• Spinal Muscular Atrophy
• Spina Bifida Clinic
Ochsner Hospital for Children has offered exceptional pediatric care for over 75 years, hospital reps said. Recently named one of the top 50 programs in the country for Pediatric Cardiology and Heart Surgery by U.S. News & World Report, Ochsner Hospital for Children includes more than 120 pediatric physicians and offers advanced specialty care in 30 pediatric specialties and sub-specialties. Ochsner for Children also supports families through its child life department, which helps families and children manage and understand their healthcare experience through education, procedural preparation, medical play and other therapeutic activities.
Click here for more information about the Michael R. Boh Center for Child Development
