CRESTVIEW — Administrators at Caring Hearts demand more from their nursing staff than just the prerequisite minimum of two years of pediatric experience.
They want nurses who really love tending to medically complex and medically fragile children.
“It takes a special kind of person to work here,” Caring Hearts administrator and Director of Nursing Connie Irwin said.
“In a hospital, you see a patient and then they go home. Here, you can see them progress. That’s the reward. As a nurse, that’s something you don’t usually see in a hospital,” Irwin said.
Caring Hearts vice president Dr. Amanda Wheeler said the facility’s prescribed pediatric extended care is a medical service assured by state legislation.
Costs are often fully covered by Medicaid, but surprisingly, many families don’t know about the service to take advantage of it, Irwin said.
“There are so many people who qualify for the service who don’t know we exist,” Irwin said.
A SPECIAL KIND OF DAY CARE
The 28 children under the care of Irwin and her staff mostly look, sound and play like most other kids. And Caring Hearts, at casual glance, seems like most other day care facilities.
Kids’ toys and belongings are stashed tidily in cubbies, bright graphics enhance the rooms, colorful toys encourage individual development, and group activities build social skills.
“It looks like a regular day care, but when you look at their charts, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, some of these kids are lucky to be alive,’” Wheeler said. “There’s nothing like seeing kids who weren’t supposed to survive, or not supposed to walk or talk, exceeding expectations.”
Wheeler’s parents, Betty and Gabriel Tejerina, founded the company of prescribed pediatric extended care facilities, opening the Crestview office at the invitation of Sacred Heart Hospital in 2005.
DAILY NURSING ASSESSMENTS
Each child receives a daily head-to-toe nursing assessment.
“When you have medically complex children, you have to do these assessments that parents may not be able to do,” Wheeler said.
“A lot of parent education goes on here,” Irwin added.
In a quiet corner, a group of children sat eagerly around a medical technician as she read a Christmas story. This week, the kids had a pajama party and watched “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
During the day, kids are often removed from activities for medical treatments or speech, physical or occupational therapy.
On a recent morning, while three kids nearby drew pictures on erasable tablets, a boy with a huge ear-to-ear smile and bushy brown hair worked hard decorating Christmas cookies.
On closer examination, an intravenous tube could be seen running into his arm.
“I got a shot!” he said proudly, noting he didn’t cry at all.
“That’s because you’re a big boy,” registered nurse Emily Loflin told him encouragingly.
The kids see nothing unusual in other children who have physical differences, use wheel chairs or wear medical equipment.
“The children are very accepting of each other,” Wheeler said.
And Caring Hearts fosters an atmosphere to encourage that acceptance.
“We try to make sure they have the best day possible, from the time they get on the transportation until it’s time to go home,” Irwin said.
PRESCRIBED PEDIATRIC EXTENDED CARE
Caring Hearts is Crestview’s only PPEC facility. Services are covered by Medicaid, and allow parents the opportunity to return to school or jobs while skilled nursing staff tend their medically complex or fragile children. For information contact Connie Irwin, RN, 380 Medcrest Dr., 689-1376, cirwin@caringheartsfl.com.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview’s only day care for medically complex children