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Eighth Valerie Fund Center Brings Comprehensive Medical and Psycho-Social Services to Children and Families on Long Island
The Valerie Fund is excited to announce that it has opened its eighth center, allowing it to help more children and families than ever before. The new Center, located at Stony Brook Children's Hospital on Long Island, opened on August 3rd.
The new TVF Center will serve an urgent need on Long Island. Currently, Stony Brook Children's Hospital has the only Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program providing services to the half million children in Suffolk County, as well as those in neighboring Nassau County. The Division currently handles over 5,000 outpatient visits annually, split between oncology and hematology visits. Over the last four years, it has consistently seen 60 new oncology patients per year, approaching a 50% increase in numbers of newly diagnosed oncology patients annually.
With the establishment of a Valerie Fund Center at Suffolk County's only children's hospital, patients and their families will reap the benefits of the TVF's signature brand—treating the whole child, which includes psychosocial needs as well as medical, and caring for the whole family—close to home.
Laura Hogan, MD, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Stony Brook, serves as the Director of The Valerie Fund at Stony Brook Children's. She says, "It is an honor to have the opportunity to work directly with The Valerie Fund. My team and I are beyond grateful for the generous and strategic commitment to enhance the psychosocial support for our pediatric hematology/oncology patients and their families. We are excited about what we can accomplish together."
Neil Yaris, Chairman of The Valerie Fund's Board of Trustees, echoes what Dr. Hogan says. "We are thrilled to welcome Stony Brook Children's Hospital as our newest Valerie Fund Center. In doing so, an additional 500 children each year will have access to the full range of psychosocial care that our other seven Valerie Fund Centers currently provide. We look forward to a long relationship with Dr. Laura Hogan and her entire team. "
The new Center will significantly expand the services available to Stony Brook's pediatric patients and their families by funding a:
Social Worker
Child Life Specialist
Psychologist
Educational Liaison
Survivorship Coordinator
These additional resources will greatly enhance the services that will be provided by Stony Brook Children's. The psychosocial toll cancer can have on a young patient can be devastating. The mental health disorders and neurocognitive disabilities seen in these patients are more likely to be chronic and it is critical to address these issues immediately in an acute setting. Equally essential is having continuous, ongoing care providers to address these issues after the acute phase, ultimately providing improved psychosocial health over the long term. With the additional services resulting from the establishment of the Valerie Fund Center, families will be better able to focus on the medical needs of their children, as well as the needs of other family members.
Carolyn Milana, MD, Physician-in-Chief and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics will oversee the new Valerie Fund Center along with Dr. Hogan. Dr. Milana says, "We are delighted about our new relationship with The Valerie Fund. We are grateful to be partnering with an organization that is so closely aligned with our mission of providing individualized care close to home."