Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital: Why Children Should Visit A Children’s Hospital or Facility

Recently, I had the opportunity to tour Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, and I was blown away by all of the services and resources that they have for families as well as the locations that they have throughout South Florida. As a parent, we of course hope to never need these types of services, but having the information in case something should arise is definitely beneficial.

Ready for our JDCH tour! An amazing group of women all looking to help South Florida Families and therapy dog, Freedom!

Apart from the amazing facility, and all of the extras that they have to make children feel more at home, Joe DiMaggio prides themselves on protocols that are set up for children, not for adults. One thing that we don’t necessarily think about until it’s time is where we would take our children or family members in a crisis and through what I learned I definitely see the importance and benefits of taking my child to a children’s specific facility. I was also surprised to learn that this type of quality children’s care was not limited to Hollywood! JDCH operates locations throughout Broward and Palm Beach that offer specialized care for children.

JDCH Locations:

Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Specialty Care – Aventura, FL
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Specialty Care – Boca Raton, FL (East)
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Specialty Care – Boca Raton, FL (West)
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Specialty Care – Coral Springs, FL
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital U18 Sports Medicine – Coral Springs, FL
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital – Hollywood, FL
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Pediatric Services at Memorial Medical Office Centre – Hollywood, FL
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Pediatric Therapy Services – Hollywood, FL
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Specialty Care – Hollywood, FL (2 locations)
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Emergency Room – Hollywood, FL
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Pediatric Services at Memorial Hospital – Miramar, FL
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital U18 Sports Medicine – Miramar, FL
Memorial Hospital Miramar Children’s Emergency Services – Miramar, FL
Memorial Hospital West Pediatric Services – Pembroke Pines, FL
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Health Specialty Center – Wellington, FL
https://www.jdch.com/locations/weston – Weston, FL

*Links above will take you to the specific facility with their services and address. For an overall list of locations and the services offered, CLICK HERE.

Unique JDCH Features:

JDCH has a wide variety of different features and programs, here are some I found particularly helpful/beneficial.

All doctors are PEDIATRIC board-certified and they are ranked in the TOP 50 in the nation for Pediatric Orthopedic and Cardiac programs by US News & World Report.
Collaborate with Boston Children’s Hospital for joint referral management and case consults, regular communication – telemedicine/IT and provide a seamless system for patients and families to receive the best care
KidCierge Program – This is a service available to all families (existing patient or new). JDCH knows how valuable your time is and wants to help families navigate their loved ones’ care with ease. The KidCierge can help with scheduling multiple appointments in a single visit, provide an itinerary for those appointments, securely receive medical records, escort your family to children’s appointments, refer to local hotels/extended stays or to the Conine Clubhouse if needed and more.
Conine Clubhouse – This is an on-site “home away from home” for families of children receiving medical care where families can stay free of charge (based on availability). Referral is required.
Canine Assisted Therapy – We had the pleasure of meeting Freedom, Joe DiMaggio’s therapy dog. Freedom is trained to help patients in physical therapy and is available for patients to call to their room for comfort and cuddles at his own extension 65BARK!
Child Life Program – The Child Life Center provides an area for patients and families to relax, enjoy therapeutic play, activities such as art, music and yoga therapy. There are also Child Life Specialists that can go to your child’s room.
Hospital School program – A teacher is on-site in his own classroom to help children keep up with their K-12 grade school work. Whether a short visit or extended stay, Mr. George can provide homework help and even helped a year-long patient advance to the next grade with their class.
For expecting mothers that may be high risk or that have a high risk pregnancy, Joe DiMaggio is located right next-door to Memorial and they have a level IV Nicu, which is the highest level available to a neonatal unit, so if mom or baby is high-risk, a Memorial/JDCH is a great place to have your baby.
Patient Rooms/Floors – Every floor has a playroom and family lounge so children and families have a close extended area to feel comfortable. Also, a couch that turns into a bed for parents and 2 tvs – 1 for the patient and 1 for parents so each can watch their own programs. Children can also order room service themselves from their tv or phone (special dietary restrictions are programmed if necessary so they can only order things they are able to have).
Joe DiMaggio also has a food pantry in the lobby for community nutrition that provides access to healthy food and can even be delivered if necessary. Especially for patients where malnutrition has been linked to a cause of their illness and where resources are a reason for this, the food pantry helps to connect parents with healthy, nutritious food for members of the community.

Everything at JDCH has been done with children and families in mind. From their virtual tour, which is done by children to help kids’ feel comfortable prior to a hospital visit, to their design and features throughout the hospital. The CT machine even looks like a pirate ship and children can give their doll or teddy bear a practice scan in the waiting room!

Some FAQ which came up during our tour:

What is the difference between JoeDiMaggio and St. Judes?

We see St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital everywhere so what makes JoeDimaggio different? Well St. Jude’s, while a great organization, only treats children with Cancer which must be referred there and accepted as a patient in their Tennessee location. Joe DiMaggio is in our own backyard and treats children with all types of illnesses. Families are never turned away based on their ability to pay and can receive assistance through the Joe DiMaggio Foundation.

What are some examples of protocols which differ from Children and Adults?

Some examples include JDCH’s image gently protocol which uses lower doses of radiation in their imaging machines and uses alternative techniques to calm and distract children during procedures to avoid unnecessary sedation as much as possible. A hospital environment can be scary and stressful for an adult and is more so for a child so the playful atmosphere and techniques help to keep children comfortable during their visit.

Can anyone tour the hospital?

JDCH has a child led virtual tour which can be viewed here https://youtu.be/dt5WdNgIeHQ for parents and families of children who are scheduled for surgery, JDCH offers Teddy Bear Tours. Children receive a teddy bear or stuffed animal to tour the hospital with them for comfort and medical play to prepare the patient and family on what to expect on the day of surgery.

Do you have a visit scheduled to JDCH? I hope we provided some helpful information to prepare for your visit! And if not, I hope we provided some information that may be helpful in the future. If you have visited JDCH, let us know about your experiences in the comments!