Extensive needs program

I’m more confident as a parent,” says the mother. “I’ve learned so much about autism and the challenges my son faces every day with all of his diagnoses. He’s worked very hard on himself and it brought us closer together as a family.”

“I feel that this program will help other children and their families by providing a support system that is unique to each individual and family situation,” says the mother. “It will provide resources that will help navigate their child’s needs, and give hope to families who are struggling with the challenges of raising a child with autism, as well as providing hope to the individual with special needs. I have been lucky enough to participate in this amazing program, and I cannot say enough about how this program and my support team have made a difference in our lives.”

Siebert is pleased that the program has already made such a difference so soon after launching.

“The client and his caregiver continue to demonstrate resiliency and hard work as they engage with our team and the different services supporting them,” she says. “Seeing how a multidisciplinary team can come together and align their clinical goals while supporting and listening to their family’s needs demonstrates the need for this program.” n H

Specifically, the new funding will allow Holland Bloorview to:

• See more clients with increased complex mental health needs

• Improve quality of care for patients and families through enhanced intake coordination, reduced wait times and advanced data collection

• Increase access to GUAG’s multidisciplinary team of clinicians

• Increase staff support in the areas of intake, evaluation and research, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, social work and psychology

• Streamline referrals and admissions.

In addition, new staff resources will allow Holland Bloorview to better facilitate clients’ transition to community-based recreational opportunities, thus taking advantage of the functional gains they’ve made while in the program. This has an additional impact of building community capacity to better support children and youth living with chronic pain in recreational activities.

“We are grateful to the dedicated team that runs Get Up and Go, and the transformational change we are able to make in the lives of young people experiencing chronic pain,” says Lori Palozzi, nurse practitioner and GUAG program lead. “Clients have shared their appreciation for the ‘constant support’ provided and the suggestion for future participants to ‘come in with an open mind.’ Families confirm that this program helps their child increase their function in a way that’s meaningful for them.”

Holland Bloorview’s GUAG program is Canada’s first inpatient multidisciplinary pediatric pain service that treats persistent pain (longer than three months) and supports children to regain function and return to usual activities like school and play. It consists of a two-week inpatient stay followed by a two-week day patient stay.