Kelly came to St. Mary’s Hospital for Children because it is a facility that cares for some of New York’s sickest children and that is the population she wanted to serve the most. Kelly thought that with the dynamic programs that St. Mary’s offers, she could make a positive impact on each child and their family.
The continuum of care that St. Mary’s provides to their patients stands out in the healthcare system. St. Mary’s services children in the hospital at the earliest stages of their diagnosis, at home after they have completed their inpatient stay, or after school to work on their goals, and at end-of-life to provide care and comfort to them and their family. Each patient is given the most well-rounded care as possible.
Kelly feels her goal is to help each child improve their level of independence and ultimately, their overall health and quality of life. By doing so, it can also improve the overall quality of life for the family members who care for them every day. Kelly tries to make every physical therapy session a playful time by making what her patients think is impossible possible and prove to them how strong they really are.
St. Mary’s is a place of hope and support, according to Kelly. She feels that it is a place for families to learn more about their child’s diagnosis and how to improve the quality of their lives. Kelly feels that St. Mary’s can push the boundaries of what is possible and provide hope where families thought there may once have been none.
One of the most memorable experiences Kelly had was with a patient who was receiving care in another state because there was no facility in New York that provided the treatment he was receiving. The program he was in was very specialized and while St. Mary’s had plans to start a program in the near future, it recognized that this was an opportunity to push the limits and start a program of their own. After training with the team that was providing the care to this patient, St. Mary’s was able to build a team of their own and set up St. Mary’s Locomotor Training Program to continue the work he was receiving out of state. Now, a little more than a year later, he is making tremendous gains and his family is now able to live together under the same roof.