Lehigh valley hospital child care: Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital

Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital

Kids are built different.

Good thing we’re a hospital that’s built just for kids.

When you partner with us, you have access to more than 30 pediatric specialties, two Children’s ExpressCARE locations and a Children’s ER. We even have child-life specialists to help kids cope with being sick. Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital – the only hospital in the region built just for kids. Because, well, they’re kids.

In Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, you have a partner that’s better prepared than anyone in the region to care for kids. We meet the rigorous criteria of the Children’s Hospital Association and we promise exceptional service. Your family can confidently access every medical need your child has in a location close to home.

Good thing we built a hospital that’s just for kids.

Excellent care always matters

Exceptional care requires exceptional colleagues. As the community’s only children’s hospital, Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital has opportunities for health care professionals who are dedicated to caring for kids.

Which role is right for you? If you are searching for a nursing career with Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, click here to view job postings and apply. If you are a physician or advanced practice clinician, click here to explore opportunities and contact a recruiter.

From newborns to teens

Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital cares for kids of all ages.

Our care model ensures physicians, nurses and staff have the right training to meet the unique needs of children and their families.

We offer comprehensive services focused on kids. In fact, we’re the only children’s hospital in the region delivering this level of care. Our specialty pediatrics services include:

• Adolescent medicine
• Allergy and asthma care
• Anesthesia
• Blood disorders (hematology)
• Burn care
• Cancer care (oncology)
• Cardiology
• Child protection medicine
• Child-life specialists
• Children’s ExpressCARE
• Critical care medicine
• Ear, nose and throat (otolaryngology)
• Emergency care
• Endocrinology
• Gastroenterology
• General pediatrics
• Hospital medicine 
• Infectious diseases
• Neonatology
• Nephrology
• Neurology
• Neurosurgery
• Ophthalmology
• Orthopedics
• Plastic and reconstructive surgery
• Psychiatry
• Pulmonology and cystic fibrosis care
• Radiology
• Rehabilitation
• Rheumatology
• Sleep disorders
• Sports medicine
• Surgery
• Urology

We also offer many workshops and classes through Lehigh Valley Health Network’s (LVHN) Raising a Family program, including newborn care and parenting classes, as well as child-focused health programs through Weller Health Education.

Child-focused cancer care

Our pediatric cancer team includes oncology nurses, social workers and pharmacists all specialized in caring for children with cancer. We are part of the Children’s Oncology Group, a National Cancer Institute coalition of more than 230 children’s hospitals that provides patients with access to the latest therapies, including clinical trials.

Kids who need lifesaving infusions, including chemotherapy, receive treatment at the Children’s Cancer and Multipurpose Infusion Center, which is designed for and dedicated to kids.

Specialized, advanced care in a family centered pediatric hospital

Our pediatricians and staff have special training and experience in caring for kids so they can deliver child-friendly, hospital-based services. We offer:

The region’s only 24/7 Children’s ER

Our dedicated 27-bed Breidegam Family Children’s ER at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Cedar Crest is staffed by board-certified pediatric emergency medicine doctors.

Inpatient intensive care units

Board-certified neonatologists, inpatient physicians and intensive care specialists provide full-time, in-house coverage for children’s intensive care units. They are supported by highly educated neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nurses who meet the unique needs of children.

MedEvac transportation

Since 1981, MedEvac has provided air and ground transportation for critically ill or injured patients.

Burn care

Our Regional Burn Center is verified by the American Burn Association to treat children and adults. LVHN treats the majority of burn cases in the area. As a result, our patients have lower mortality, fewer readmissions and shorter lengths of treatment.

Trauma care

As a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center, we provide the highest level of trauma care to children in our region.

Pediatric surgery

Our pediatric surgeons deliver routine to advanced surgical care for infants, children and teens. We offer minimally invasive approaches for many procedures so children recover faster and with less scarring. Many treatments can be performed at the J.B. and Kathleen Reilly Children’s Surgery Center. This outpatient center is dedicated to children’s surgery needs.

Before, during and after procedures or surgery, our board-certified anesthesiologists deliver pediatric anesthesia and sedation services to relieve children’s pain and decrease anxiety.

Child-life program

Certified child-life specialists help kids cope with a visit to the hospital. They are experts in child development, and they partner with doctors, nurses, social workers and other members of your care team to meet the unique needs of your child and your family. 

The child-life program at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital is the only one in the area where child-life specialists help children receiving medical treatment by offering opportunities for stress relief and relaxation, as well as distractions to make procedures easier.

THE Top 10 Daycares in Lehigh Valley, PA

Daycares in Lehigh Valley, PA

Description:

Lehigh Valley Day Care Center creates learning experiences and an environment that are in tune with children’s different stages and ages of growth. This child care facility believes that kids are unique andpossess unlimited potentials. They feature an atmosphere that involves the students with hands-on activities, sharing experiences, playing, exploring, etc….

Description:

Playtime Daycare, LLC. in Allentown, PA offers the children an exceptional child care in a structured environment. They provide fine/gross motor activities, Creative curriculum, arts/crafts, technology, as wellas science, reading, and math hands-on experiences. This child care facility features a learning atmosphere where the children will learn new skills….

Description:

Brand New Facility. Centrally located to Whitehall, Allentown, Catasuaqua and Northampton areas. Close to all the malls and business district. Easy access without traveling through all the mall traffic. 5000 SFof open area, 6 rooms, 3000 SF of play area. Owner/Director has 35 + years experience and Degrees in Early Childhood, Special Education, Elementary Education. All other staff have a minimal of 5 years and hold a Degree in Early Childhood/ Elementary Education. All three state required Clearances, Act 48 Credits yearly and a lot of love for their work. We offer an educationally based program with age appropriate daily lesson plans at all age levels. We offer a creative learning program that will fill your child’s day. Expressing their creative side in art, music and more.
Our rates are below the average without taking away the quality of care and learning. Our program is an Educationally Based Inclusive Program that offers socialization, creative learning, and fun. We offer an open concept environment to provide a safe environment for your child. Each child is in an age appropriate classroom, with experienced/educated teaching staff. We believe that all children learn and grow in a structured, fun filled classroom. Our program offers age appropriate lesson plans, modifications to meet each child’s needs, music, gym, arts and crafts, therapy and creative play opportunities. Not to mention LOTS AND LOTS OF FUN!!!!!!!…

Luquis Group Daycare

1007 E Livingston St, Allentown, PA 18109

Costimate: $177/day

Description:

Luquis Group Daycare is a family owned and operated daycare facility. They put child’s needs first and provide a loving, nurturing, and safe environment for the little one. The facility incorporates learningexperiences with fun activities. They want children to embrace education and enjoy themselves while doing so….

Description:

Clarisa’s Family Child Care is a day care establishment on 616 N Front St, Allentown, PA that maintains a culture of safety. Their center is registered with the state of Pennsylvania as a child care serviceprovider in the vicinity. Their center is open regularly on weekdays….

Description:

www.Little-SuperHeros.com “Learning to Save the Day”
NOW ENROLLING- Infants, Younger Toddler, Older Toddler, Pre-K1, & Pre-K2 Honors Class
WE…
-Implement a highly effective “12 month a year” certifiedcurriculum
-Provide “2” energized “Mission Leaders” for each team class
-Produce well equipped graduates with a generous head start to kindergarten
-Have NO unexpected closings or early dismissals*
-Stay OPEN on holidays & bad weather days
-Pay you $50 for every referral
-Supply a superior level of customer service
-Welcome ALL financial ranges of families
________________________________________________________
Our purpose is to unleash an experience that will inspire the imaginations of children like never before. We create teams of little heroes that learn effortlessly through our exciting curriculum packed full of super powers and adventure. Through their challenges they shall become assignment ready and equipped with the tools necessary in “Learning to Save the Day”. With their Mission Leaders by their side and their team prepared for “back-up”, they will always be “Ready for Take-Off”
——————————————————————————————-
We just do it BETTER!
Offering one of the BEST certified curriculum guaranteed to prepare your child for their grand entrance into Allentown, Parkland, Whitehall and all surrounding elementary schools. While most daycares struggle to have “1 teacher” per classroom, we have “2 teachers” providing double the attention and support your child deserves.
We are also known for our amazing “Enrollment Promotions” and “Referral Programs” that keep our customers coming back every year for more!
CHECK US OUT TODAY OR SCHEDULE A TOUR!
610 43-HEROS / 610 434-3767
www.Little-SuperHeros.com
“Learning to Save the Day”…

Description:

Our program philosophy is to provide opportunities for essential learning experiences based on the child s individual needs, interests,and abilities that will build important foundations for future endeavors. Weprovide appropriate play experiences that contribute to the developmental needs of the child. Our curriculum places emphasis on social skills, fine and gross motor skills, cognitive, visual and auditory development, as well as providing the building blocks upon which future skills will be developed. Our students reflect a variety of backgrounds and beliefs…

Recent Review:

This is a great daycare. I highly recommend them, my child attends on a daily basis and learns tremendously throughout the week. The workers are attentive and caring with the children as well.

Reviewed by Jasmine G

Description:

Hello everyone! Do you know any mothers who need their 3-5 years to attend a LEADING PRESCHOOL at a HUGE DISCOUNT as one of our founding families?
I am launching the final stages of my NEW Preschool and amlooking for Seven families to become “founding families” (at a vast, discounted rate). I am inviting families who love to have their children acquire a high-quality preschool during this school year and make friends. Kids love to make friends, and what a better place than a preschool where they can learn, play, and enjoy getting ready for Kinder!
My mission is to use my year of experience as a daycare provider to open and improve my preschool teaching and make sure the skill is perfect before I fully open my Preschool to the public at the total price.
As a founding family, take advantage of the discount to help your child get closer friendships that will help them shape self-assurance and a rising love of learning. At the same time, your child can develop all their social, emotional, cognitive skills and physical. Children’s “brains and memory files are continuously growing and being reshaped,” and allowing them to be around other kids can benefit them to create does file. Children’s brains will develop by age five, and we want to ensure that your child is set up for victory in life.
Our first day of Preschool will be November 1, 2021
Everything in life is a learning moment not held by a so-called adult Instructor, a provider, etc. Kids are capable of learning in many ways since they all are diverse. They all are learning in a different technique. I started family daycare 15 years ago, so I did not have to take my son to daycare. I wanted him to have fun and friends. In time, I loved teaching children; the more kids I had, the more I enjoyed doing this. I am a mother of two beautiful children, and I imagine this Preschool being organized with high active actions that will guarantee your child’s mind and body to be incentives! Now that my children are teenagers, I want to have more time to be with them and take places.
Thank you in advance for helping me start my Preschool; as the first founding family, I want to offer the opportunity to join our Preschool for just $100.00 a month per child with NO registration fee to our Tuesday and Thursday class. This is a huge discount so when I open my Preschool at the total price.
To get this discount, I need to know in the next two days! I want to be ready as soon as possible, and I want to fill the spots. …

Description:

At Miles of Smiles our most important objective is to give parents and guardians the comfort of their child or children is in excellent care! We pride ourselves on providing a safe, educational, and funatmosphere for all children. At Miles of Smiles we try our best to provide a family like environment to ensure all children and their families feel welcome at our establishment….

Description:

We offer quality care for children starting at 18 months old up to 5 years old in a loving Christian environment. Rates starting as low as $55 weekly for eligible applicants and FREE for all American FamilyServices employees. We meet all of the state requirements and all staff is CPR and 1st trained.
Our day is filled with fun but educational activities such as:
Arts and Crafts
Water/Sand Play
Bible learning time
Outdoor Playtime
Storytime
Cooking
Music
Field Trips
Circle Time(children learn shapes colors, alphabets, animals, days of the week)
We provide a 2 snacks per day which is included in our already low price!
We are accepting children for full-time and part-time
About The Staff:
We are a Bible based program and all of our staff are Christian women. We are CPR/First Aid Certified, and current on all criminal and child abuse clearances. We have two directors and 2 teachers all of which have many years of experience as well as current certifications and clearances.
We are now accepting Title XX
We are located in the lower level of the Family Thrift Store on Macarthur Road, across the street from the Lehigh valley Dairies building and right before the 7th street bridge. We are in a safe and quiet area. We have both indoor and outdoor play spaces for your child to run and exercise.
We are currently offering all newly enrolled children the first week/ trial week absolutely FREE of charge and if you like our program and choose to stay then the you will receive 1/2 off the first full month of care….

Description:

We have a very fun and educational way to teach thru dramatic play, with paint, hands on and science experiment. Things that would always get the children attention.

Description:

Art and Nature-based child care center in Whitehall PA, for infant, toddler, preschool and before/after care.

Description:

Learning Tree Day Care Center is a local child care facility for toddlers and pre-kindergarten children. The company also provides services designed for kindergarten up to 5th-grade elementary students.Learning Tree Day Care Center is fully state-licensed to accommodate a total of 43 children….

Description:

Whitehall Fullerton Day Care is a child care establishment at 575 Grape St, Whitehall, PA licensed by the state of Pennsylvania to provide early childhood education to nearby areas. They designed a curriculumthat enables children to develop at a pace they are comfortable with….

Description:

Located in the state of Pennsylvania, Gantz Day Care & Learning Center is an early education facility. It offers programs for toddlers, preschoolers, and pre-kindergarten aged children. Additionally, providesbefore and after school care for its students. The Center is operational Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m….

Description:

K U L A Children’s Center is a local daycare facility that offers educational child care programs designed for infants up to school-age children. The company serves kids who are aged six weeks to 13 years old.K U L A Children’s Center offers both part-time and full-time schedules….

Description:

Growing Tree Child Care Center is a locally based daycare center that offers full-time and part-time child care and early education programs designed for young children. Located at 3000 3rd Street, the companyserves families living in the Whitehall, PA area. Growing Tree Child Care Center also provides before and after-school care and summer programs….

Description:

We believe that children deserve high quality care and education. We strive to bring your child the highest standards possible in educational care. We believe that children develop to their highest potentialwhen they are allowed to explore and experience their world through hands-on real experiences and interactions, which are reflected in our classrooms.
We look forward to working with you and your child and invite you to become partners with us in the education and care of your child.
We are a daycare provider located off of Schadt Avenue in Whitehall on a little side road named Beryl Avenue. This private, no thru road provides a quiet setting away from the hustle of Schadt Avenue and surrounding roads.
Stepping Stones provides care and education to children six weeks of age through the age of 15. The Center offers full and part time care….

Showing 1 – 20 of 103

FAQs for finding daycares in Lehigh Valley

In 2022 what type of daycare can I find near me in Lehigh Valley, PA?

There are a variety of daycares in Lehigh Valley, PA providing full time and part-time care. Some daycares are facility-based and some are in-home daycares operated out of a person’s home. They can also vary in the degree of education and curriculum they offer. Additionally, some daycares offer bilingual programs for parents that want to immerse their children in multiple languages.

How can I find a daycare near me in Lehigh Valley, PA?

If you are looking for daycare options near you, start several months in advance of when you need care for your child. Care.com has 3 in Lehigh Valley, PA as of November 2022 and you can filter daycares by distance from Lehigh Valley or your zip code. From there, you can then compare daycare rates, parent reviews, view their specific services, see their hours of operation and contact them through the website for further information or to request an appointment.

What questions should I ask a daycare provider before signing up?

As you visit daycare facilities in Lehigh Valley, PA, you should ask the providers what their hours are so you can be prepared to adjust your schedule for drop-off and pick-up. Ask what items you are responsible for bringing for your child and what items you may be required to provide that will be shared among other children or the daycare staff. Also, make sure to check directly with the business for information about their local licensing and credentials in Lehigh Valley, PA.

INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

C The worst thing for any parent is not just a sick child, but a child in a hospital. Especially after the frightening stories about how a mother was refused a joint stay with a three-year-old child, or that parents slept on the cold floor of a ten-bed ward because they were not allowed to put cots.

Y Let’s shed some light on the burning issue of the rights of the parents of a hospitalized child.

O the main document on which we rightfully rely is the Fundamentals of the Legislation of the Russian Federation on the Protection of the Health of Citizens dated July 22, 1993 N 5487-1.

The right to be with the child N Not only the parents, but also any adult family member whom the parents consider sufficiently close to the child, are allowed to stay in the hospital while the child is there. (By the way, according to the law on health protection, a child is considered a person who has not reached the age of 15.) Moreover, it is not forbidden to replace each other on duty with a child. (Just remember that it would be a good idea to warn the doctors and nurses on duty about this according to the laws of politeness.)

E The duration of your stay does not matter: you can stay in the hospital for as long as the child is being treated there, whether it is two hours or two weeks. They have no right to demand any payment or work in the hospital from you. Moreover, in the case of staying with a child in a hospital, you officially receive a sick leave. The period for which it is issued depends on the age of the child (see the text of the law).

L The hospital is not obligated to provide you with a bed or meals. However, he has no right to put up obstacles: you can sleep with your child, or settle down in the ward according to your own understanding. Of course, taking care not to disturb other patients.

T no one has the right to demand from parents to perform some work in the hospital (washing floors or other labor). But as a human being, it would be nice if you were sympathetic to other children in the ward and on the floor, voluntarily kept the ward clean, cooperated with the duty teams and avoided conflicts with the medical staff.

Right to information

In , you have the right to know the exact wording of your child’s diagnosis, the prospects for the development of the disease, and diagnostic methods if the diagnosis is difficult. Remember that there is an International Classification of Diseases 10th revision. If your child is diagnosed with a diagnosis that is not included in this classification (for example, vegetative-vascular dystonia or dysbacteriosis), this is an occasion to seek clarification from the attending physician.

Since , according to the law, the doctor is not only able, but obliged to answer all your questions regarding the health of your child. Moreover, if the wording and explanations are not clear to you, you have the right to talk with the doctor until you understand in general terms what is happening and what are the possible forecasts.

Right to refuse to receive information

E is another important right. If for some reason you do not want to know the specifics of the course of the child’s illness or even the diagnosis, you must inform the attending physician about this. No one has the right to force you to delve into what you do not need or are not interested in. You can simply trust the doctors.

E Another important note: adverse information should only be reported to the child’s representatives, not to the child. What and how to say to a little patient is decided by his parents. Parents also determine the circle of persons to whom information about the child’s illness can be conveyed.

Right to informed consent

E This means that before carrying out any procedure that has even a small potential risk to the health of the child, the doctor must obtain your consent (written). This is especially true for any invasive procedures, and even more so for surgical intervention. That is, everything that has a high risk of complications.

The right not to experience pain

R Since every patient has the right to receive pain relief during treatment, you, as the child’s representative, have the right to report the child’s pain to the doctor and request pain relief.

Right to refuse medical intervention

At , you have the right to refuse any treatment your child’s doctor suggests. In this case, you are obliged to explain the consequences of such a refusal and offer alternative treatments (if any). Refusal of any medical procedures does not mean refusal of medical care at all or discharge from the hospital or issuance of any medical documents to you.

About However, remember that if the doctor believes that you are preventing the child from getting the help that is necessary to save his life, the hospital has the right to go to court to protect the interests of the small patient.

The right to choose an institution and a doctor

In you have the right to choose any hospital in your city that has vacant places, at the moment – a team on duty and accepts patients under compulsory health insurance. The ambulance has no right to motivate the refusal to take your child to a hospital that meets the listed requirements by the fact that “we are far away, we will take you to the nearest one”. You also have the right to choose a primary care physician for your child. True, provided that the doctor you have chosen agrees.

As a parent, you have many rights regarding your child’s interaction with the healthcare facility. If you know about them (and have a printout of the law with you), you can avoid many misunderstandings and conflicts that delay the treatment process and can adversely affect the health of the child. But both your task and the goal of any doctor is to give the child the best possible.

Responsibilities of parents staying at the hospital 24 hours a day

C according to the order of the Ministry of Health of the Moscow Region No. 441 dated May 02, 2012, upon admission, have tests on hand, according to the referral to the clinic at the place of residence.

“Accompanying a child without parents to the hospital is a matter of life and death” – Picture of the Day – Kommersant

Many Russian orphans in infancy end up in hospitals where they are alone, without care and concern. Children with serious illnesses living in orphanages often cannot receive high-tech medical care, because care for them in a hospital is not enshrined in legislation. For the past 20 years, Russian public organizations have been demanding that the state create a service for accompanying orphans and children without parental care in hospitals, but the problem has not yet been resolved. Even the relevant instructions of the President of Russia were not carried out by the government.

Children who are admitted to hospitals unaccompanied by adults experience trauma that subsequently affects their later life affects their future life

Photo: Children’s Charitable Foundation “Sunny City”

“Unaccompanied children are not accepted for complex surgeries”

Kristina 6 years old, from the bottom 4 years she spent in bed in the orphanage

Photo: from the personal archive of the family

Kristina 6 years old, from the bottom 4 years she spent in bed in the orphanage

Photo: from the personal archive family

Christina rides slowly on a tricycle. Christina walks down the path, holding her mother’s hand. Christina climbs the stairs to the second floor, her mother belaying her from behind. Christina is six years old. A little less than a year ago, she had a family. She had spent her entire life before that in the orphanage and hospitals. Until the age of four, Christina did not get out of bed, because her frail body could not hold her big head. Christina has congenital hydrocephalus, a disease in which cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain. If such a child is not operated on at an early age, his head will begin to grow, which will lead to profound disability. Children with compensated hydrocephalus can fully live, move around, attend kindergarten and school. In the region where Christina was born, doctors did not undertake such operations for a long time. When the Moscow charitable foundation “He Needs You” began visiting orphanages and orphanages, its employees saw children with huge heads there. “This is a big problem – high-tech medical care for children without parents,” says Lyudmila Ushakova, co-founder of the foundation. “In many regions there are no opportunities to perform such operations on children. But even if there are doctors and opportunities, children without adult accompaniment are not taken for complex operations. The same is true in federal clinics: there are no staff anywhere who could take good care of a child for a long time. A nurse can change a diaper, give an injection or a dropper, but she will not slowly spoon-feed the child, turn him over, do gymnastics, light massage, she does not have time for this.

I have seen children being tubed only because there was no one to spoon feed them. Young children get used to eating through a tube, they do not develop a chewing reflex, and then many of them remain on the tubes.

Kristina was lucky – the foundation arranged for her examination at the Moscow Research Institute of Pediatrics, hired a nanny, the director of the orphanage allowed the foundation to treat the girl. Christina spent a year and a half in Moscow. During this time, a shunt was installed in her head, her kidneys were treated, the tube was replaced with a gastrostomy, and finally, neurosurgeon Dmitry Zinenko performed a unique head reduction operation on Christina. “After each operation, a long rehabilitation was needed, and all this time there was a nanny with Christina,” says Lyudmila Ushakova. . All this contributed to her speedy recovery. No public clinic can provide such high-quality child care – it is expensive and requires a different staffing table.

After the foundation found a family for Christina in 2019, the girl got on her feet. Looking at her now, it’s hard to believe that two years ago she was lying in bed with a big head and could not even sit up. “Kristina’s quality of life has grown, and many children with this diagnosis lie in bed all their lives and die very early,” says Lyudmila Ushakova. “It turns out that often accompanying a child without parents to the hospital is a matter of life and death.” In 2016, the He Needs You Foundation monitored the federal database of orphans and children left without parental care (FBD), and found 300 questionnaires of children with noticeable hydrocephalus, 100 of them were in a critical condition. “We contacted the Ministry of Health, and they told us that, according to official data, more than 700 children with hydrocephalus live in orphanages,” says Lyudmila Ushakova.

Charitable foundation “He needs you” has found a nanny for Kristina. After the operation, the girl found a foster family

Photo: Olga Allenova

The He Needs You Charitable Foundation found a nanny for Kristina. After the operation, the girl found a foster family

Photo: Olga Allenova

The Road of Life charity foundation also often comes across stories of children who did not receive high-tech treatment in their time. “Children with hydrocephalus and spina bifida need to be operated on in their earliest childhood, up to three years, and quality care during such operations is extremely important,” says Anna Kotelnikova, director of the foundation. “If the operation is not performed, disability occurs, as a result of which the child will no longer be able to fully develop.

In all the regional preschools where we have been, there are such children – they are already big, they spend their whole lives in bed, and it is no longer possible to radically help them. We take them to federal clinics, hire nannies for them, they get quota operations, their quality of life improves, but they will never even be able to sit up – it’s too late.

Recently, the “Way of Life” received a letter from a volunteer who told about Angelina, a pupil of the orphanage – she was denied medical care by the decision of the director of the institution. “Angelina lives in one of the Russian regions, she has very severe scoliosis, literally a hook-shaped back,” says Anna Kotelnikova. “The director of the boarding school sent her, accompanied by a teacher, for a consultation at the Turner Institute in St. Petersburg. After the consultation, the specialists said that the girl would need several operations, after each – traction, rehabilitation, that is, the treatment would take three to four months. Upon learning of this, the director refused to treat the girl. We contacted her, and she explained her position to us by saying that she did not have extra employees who could be sent to St. Petersburg for four months. For Angelina, a family was found that is ready to seek the necessary operations for the girl and take care of her in hospitals. But there are many such orphans in the country that the foundations do not know about. “Many children with advanced neurological diseases — hydrocephalus, spina bifida, as well as severe scoliosis, cerebral palsy — go through our foundation,” says Anna Kotelnikova. there is no escort for them. Many of them are children with intact intelligence. The lack of quality medical care leads to the fact that their condition worsens, and all that awaits them in the future is a boarding school for adults.”

“I might not live”

In Russia, the law does not oblige the administration of an orphanage to organize accompaniment of a child in the hospital

Photo: Children’s Charitable Foundation “Solnechny Gorod”

Sunny City Foundation

Indeed, many children with orthopedic disorders live in orphanages, confirms Lada Uvarova, president of the Petersburg Parents regional public movement: the child’s orthoses did not fall off (orthopedic products for fixing the joints. – “Kommersant” ), you need to develop his muscles, and you also need to wash the child, comb it, change into clean clothes, talk to him, sometimes just console him if he hurts. It’s not treatment, it’s care, and hospitals don’t have it.”

Lada Uvarova talks about her adopted daughter, who broke her leg at the age of seven and ended up in the hospital: “She was still living in an orphanage then, and there were no adults around her. She wanted to go to the toilet, but no one approached her, as a result, the child went to bed, and this is still her worst memory.”

According to the expert, orphans get sick in the same way as parental children, and sometimes more often because of weakened immunity. And they need the same operations that pediatric surgeons perform throughout the country, but very often their right to quality and timely medical care is violated. “The child underwent an operation on the intestines, and he needs to be given mashed food in a spoonful, and also to persuade him to eat, because everything hurts him,” continues Lada Uvarova. “And the nurse puts a plate of pasta for him. In the oncology department, after surgery or chemotherapy, an adult should follow the child, monitor nutrition, clean hands, and operate the infusion pump (an electronic device for dosed administration of drugs.— “b” ). Without such support, all treatment may be meaningless. That is why doctors do not take children to operations without accompanying them. Petersburg Parents have a staff of nannies who can stay with orphans in hospitals. But this is a charitable program financed mainly by private donors. Sometimes a public organization receives a social subsidy from the city, which partly covers the cost of hospital nannies, but last year the subsidy was not given, and “had to get out.”

Once Uvarova saw a baby with a severe heart defect in the child’s home – he was hospitalized several times, but every time he was getting sick in preparation for the operation, and he was returned to the institution. “I asked: “And if he dies?” – she recalls. – The director answered me: “What can I do?”. We found a nanny who lived with this boy in the hospital for a month, she wore him in a warm scarf, took care of him. The operation was done, the child is already in the family. But he might not live.”

According to federal law No. 323-FZ “On the Fundamentals of Protecting the Health of Citizens in the Russian Federation”, when a child is hospitalized in a medical hospital, a parent, guardian or family member may be with him. This right is provided free of charge during the entire period of treatment, regardless of the age of the child. The guardians of orphans and children left without parental care and living in children’s homes, orphanages, are the heads of these institutions, and they do not stop performing their duties, even if the child is in the hospital. This means that directors, like ordinary parents, are obliged to take care of the interests of the child in the hospital – to organize accompaniment, to monitor treatment. But this does not happen, because the institutions do not have enough staff and not every employee is ready to go to the hospital with a pupil.

This state of affairs violates the rights of children, experts are convinced.

“Perhaps our officials should present their children or grandchildren in a hospital box all alone”

Charitable foundations in federal cities hire nannies for orphans in hospitals

Photo: Anna Galperina / Road of Life

Charitable foundations in federal cities hire nannies for orphans in hospitals

Photo: Anna Galperina / “Road of Life”

In addition to orphans who need treatment, healthy children removed from their families often end up in hospitals. This aspect of the problem has long been discussed by Marina Aksenova, director of the Novosibirsk charitable foundation Solar City. In its region, the foundation has ensured that children removed from their families and who do not have any symptoms of the disease are directly placed in children’s homes. But in the rest of Russia things are different.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that “a child who is temporarily or permanently deprived of his family environment, or who, for his own best purposes, cannot remain in such an environment, is entitled to special protection and assistance provided by the state.” In Russia, the “special protection and assistance” of the state consists in the fact that children taken from their families or found by the police and recognized as neglected are placed in a hospital – regardless of the presence or absence of medical indications. No federal law obliges government officials to hospitalize healthy children who have lost parental care, but Interior Ministry Order No. 633 of August 20, 2003 offers such a way out, and officials use it. At the same time, the terms of stay of a neglected child in a hospital are also not regulated by law. According to Federal Law No. 120-FZ “On the Fundamentals of the System for the Prevention of Neglect and Juvenile Delinquency”, guardianship and guardianship authorities are obliged within 30 days to establish the status of a child who has lost parental care and transfer him to an orphanage institution or to a family. In practice, children can stay in the hospital for much longer. In many regions, abandoned children are placed in infectious boxes, where they become infected from other children with infectious diseases. Thus, the child can stay in the hospital for three months, and six months, until he gets sick.

“One official told me that if a child stays in the hospital for a month, nothing will happen to him, but this is terrible! – says Marina Aksenova. – A child without medical indications should not be in the hospital, he takes someone else’s place, he diverts funds, but most importantly, this damages his physical and mental health.

The child already suffers the most severe trauma from the fact that he is deprived of his family, and he is also placed in a hospital where there is no care for him. Nurses are not required to take care of children, they are only required to treat them.”

According to Lada Uvarova, the practice of placing healthy abandoned babies in hospitals is based on officials’ misunderstanding of child psychology and the importance of parent-child relationships. “A close adult should be next to the child, otherwise the child experiences severe stress and trauma, which can then affect his psyche and further development,” says Uvarova. “Perhaps our officials should present their children or grandchildren at the age of two in a hospital box all alone”.

Not all regions have foundations that can hire hospital nannies for orphans. Because of this, many children who need high-tech medical care do not receive it. Because of this, many children who need high-tech medical care do not receive it

Photo: Anna Galperina / Road of Life

In 2019, the Naked Heart Foundation published in Russia a book by foreign researchers Charles Nelson, Nathan Fox and Charles Zina, which tells about a scientific study conducted by American and British scientists in Romanian orphanages, as well as in foster families at the border XX and XXI centuries. Its results showed that the system of group education negatively affects all areas of a child’s development – physical, cognitive, linguistic, socio-emotional. “This influence can be traced at different levels: behavioral characteristics, the ability to build relationships with others, brain development, and even negative changes at the genetic level,” the book says. The longer young children were without a close adult, the more disorders scientists revealed in them.

“Two problems need to be solved,” Marina Aksenova summarizes. “Firstly, do not place small children without medical indications in a hospital, but place them directly in children’s homes, because these are also medical institutions, there are doctors and nurses. And secondly, it is necessary to create a service to accompany children in hospitals who are left without parental care and who need medical assistance.”

“The service of accompanying orphans in hospitals must appear without fail”

The problem of accompanying orphans in hospitals has been discussed by NGOs for the last 20 years. In 2019, it would seem that the federal government managed to attract the attention of the problem: several round tables were held under the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation with the participation of NGOs and representatives of relevant departments. In 2019, a working group under the Ministry of Education adopted a resolution that orphans and children left without parental care, identified by the authorities and without medical indications, should not be placed in a hospital. The resolution also spoke about the need to create a social service in the country “care for a child without parents undergoing treatment in a hospital.”

In October 2019, the commission on organizing public control over the implementation of action plans carried out as part of the implementation of the Decade of Childhood national project (operating under the President of the Russian Federation) instructed the government to change the existing practice of determining children who have lost parental care by December 1, 2019 , to hospitals in the absence of medical indications, as well as “to develop a legal framework in the field of providing, accompanying and looking after children in institutions for orphans and children in difficult life situations who are being treated in inpatient medical organizations. ” These orders were not fulfilled.

Even large foundations do not have enough funds to provide support for all orphans in need of inpatient medical care

Photo: Anna Galperina / Road of Life

medical aid

Photo: Anna Galperina / Road of Life

Instead, the Ministry of Education in December 20192009, developed amendments to the 481st government decree on the activities of orphanages, which obligated the directors of such organizations to organize escort of wards in hospitals. However, these changes were not made – according to Marina Aksenova, after the January resignation of the Russian government, the specialists who worked in the Ministry of Education with the problems of orphans left for other posts in the government and “the issue hung”. At the same time, she is convinced that shifting the responsibility for accompanying orphans in hospitals to the leadership of orphanages and orphanages will not solve the problem – they still, in fact, bear such responsibility.

“The service of escorting orphans in hospitals must appear without fail, and a hospital, an orphanage, and an NGO can act as its executor,” Kommersant’s interlocutor believes.

On January 22, 2020, at a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and representatives of public organizations, Marina Aksenova spoke about the problem of “hospital orphans”. The President instructed the government to “analyze the practice of placing orphans and children left without parental care in medical organizations and, based on the results obtained, develop a procedure for the early placement of such children in appropriate social or educational organizations,” as well as “develop a procedure for the provision of social services related to with supervision and care of children left without parental care, placed in medical organizations for treatment, providing for the possibility of providing such services by non-profit organizations. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin was appointed responsible for the execution of the order, the deadline for the execution of the order is July 1, 2020. However, the deadline has passed, and the problem has not been solved.

“So far, our state is doing a very poor job of parenting”

Today, only non-profit organizations provide hospital babysitting services for orphans thanks to private donations. They hire nannies, but they cannot count on compensation from the state, and there are not enough charitable funds for all the children who need hospitalization. “The service itself is not in the law, so we do not know what we are doing,” Marina Aksenova explains. The project of the service for accompanying and caring for children in hospitals has already been written by the charitable organizations “Sun City”, “Change One Life”, “Petersburg Parents” together with the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation. It states that a legal entity or an individual entrepreneur can become a service provider.

Recipients of the service are orphans and children left without parental care, whose legal representatives are orphan organizations or guardianship and guardianship agencies, as well as children temporarily placed in such organizations at the request of their parents and in need of treatment in a medical hospital. The goals of such a service are defined as “providing a comfortable, safe environment for children; improvement of social and living conditions for the stay of children in a medical organization; constant presence near children; helping children.” The fulfillment of these goals, according to the authors of the project, will lead to an increase in the quality of life of children, a decrease in the level of disability, an increase in the effectiveness of treatment and a faster recovery of children, as well as their psychological comfort. To finance the service, the authors of the project propose to use the funds included in the budget of orphanages for medical care; special regional programs guaranteeing the provision of free medical care; voluntary property contributions and donations of legal entities and individuals; government subsidies to non-profit organizations. Also, the draft specifies the maximum workload for a caregiver (no more than six children per specialist) and the conditions for allowing such specialists to work (medical examinations, psychiatric examination, no criminal record).

Public organizations demand the creation of a state service to accompany orphans in hospitals

Photo: Anna Galperina / Road of Life

Public organizations demand the creation of a state service to accompany orphans in hospitals

Photo: Anna Galperina / Road of Life

According to the monitoring data of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, in 2015–2017, medical care in a stationary form was provided to 41,899 children from among orphans and children left without parental care. In the Novosibirsk Region alone, more than 1,000 children receive hospital care services annually (1,077 in 2019). In fact, there are more children who need treatment in a hospital, but not all of them can get such help.

“In the amendments to the Constitution, adopted on July 1, it is said that the state assumes the parental function in relation to children left without parents,” Marina Aksenova summarizes.