A few days prior to its official opening, the Pediatric Medical Day Care Center on 33rd Street stood with its doors open and a crowd of people gathered inside.
Although the brightly painted walls, the collection of cribs and the corners filled with toys and other play things make the place seem like many day care centers throughout the state, this is a very special place, one of four of its kind in New Jersey.
“We take care of kids who are dependent on technology or life-sustaining devices,” said Reggie Neal, director of the facility.
The center takes care of newborns to about age six who require life-sustaining equipment or other kinds of services that require the aid of a registered nurse.
The facility, due to open in mid-July, received a check for $30,000 from the Ronald McDonald House.
“We fund programs like this that help children,” said Marge Berger, grants coordinator for the New York Tri-State Ronald McDonald House, which distributes about $500,000 yearly. “We believe this center provides a valuable service.”
McDonald House has three grant application periods, February, June and October.
The facility, converted from an old garage last year, was funded through a combination of local fundraising and community development block grants.
But Neal said United Cerebral Palsy owes a lot to United Way of Hudson County.
The center will provide intensive nursing and medical care as well as educational services and is designed to serve up to 12 children. Payment comes from a variety of sources including Medicaid and private insurance.
Although the center is located in Bayonne and is run by the Hudson County chapter of United Cerebral Palsy, children can come to the site from almost anywhere. The center provides transportation up to an hour away. But if parents can drop off their children, the center will take them.
The fact that this is only the fourth center of its kind in the state makes the opening “a big deal,” Neal said.
Kids come to the center through a variety of means, often by a referral from medical providers, word of mouth or day care centers.
The staff, Neil said, has a multi-discipline treatment team to help service the kids, two medical consultants as well as Neil, who is a licensed social worker. He and the team evaluate and assess the needs of children, and can made referrals to other agencies. If a child needs medication or has a special diet, the center can provide for those needs.
The center becomes another piece in a larger program of services provided by the UCP, allowing them to provide services from the very young to the very old. Despite its name, UCP years ago shifted its priority to providing services to people with any disability.
“We started as a group supporting cerebral palsy, but over the years we’ve expanded to help people with all disabilities,” said Executive Director Nick Starita.