Newswise — ORLANDO, Fla. (August 10, 2012) – Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children is opening Florida’s first outpatient intensive feeding center dedicated to treating children with feeding difficulties.
The new Feeding Difficulties Center will be located on the seventh floor of the hospital and will work with families to treat young patients with a variety of feeding difficulties due to:
• Sensory/aversion disorders • Swallowing disorders • Oral-motor problems• Behavior-related food refusal
Children at the Feeding Difficulties Center will be cared for by a multi-disciplinary team of medical professionals, including gastroenterologists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, registered dietitians, clinical social workers, and others. The center will treat children up to age 12. Once referred to the center, patients will be enrolled in a four-week program. Each patient will receive a full day of treatment five days a week. Up to four children can be treated in the center at once.
The Feeding Difficulties Center features four patient observation rooms equipped with video recording/monitoring, a private consultation room, an observation room for parents, and a patient gym designated for sensory integration activities.
“The Feeding Difficulties Center is fulfilling a real need in Central Florida,” stated Devendra Mehta, M.D., pediatric gastroenterologist at Arnold Palmer Hospital. “We’re seeing many children not physically growing because they are unable to eat. This center is the next step in treating these children and helping them thrive.”
ARNOLD PALMER HOSPITAL for CHILDREN Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, supported by the Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation, is a 158-bed facility dedicated exclusively to the needs of children. Located in Orlando, Arnold Palmer Hospital provides expertise in pediatric specialties such as cardiac care, craniomaxillofacial surgery, emergency and trauma care, gastroenterology, nephrology, neurology, oncology, orthopedics, pulmonology and sports medicine. Visit www.arnoldpalmerhospital.com to learn more about all of our specialties.
RSS