Physical, occupational, speech and hearing therapy for children can now be found under the same roof.
Saint Barnabas Medical Center’s (SBMC) outpatient pediatric physical and occupational therapy, along with the Speech, Language and Learning Center, have moved to join SBMC’s Pediatric Specialty Center at 375 Mount Pleasant Avenue in West Orange.
“We are excited to be together under one roof,” said Mindy Greenspan, supervisor of Pediatric Occupational and Physical Therapy. “Some of our more complex patients require multiple services, and coordinating care can be challenging.”
“Now, we are able to provide seamless, family-centered care because we’re in one location,” says Randi Schwartz-Zalayet, Supervisor of the SBMC Speech, Language and Learning Center. “We’ve had a very positive response from our patients.”
While the main audiology department will continue to be located at The Hearing Center at Barnabas Health Ambulatory Care Center in Livingston, the satellite office in the Pediatric Specialty Center provides a valuable adjunct to speech therapy.
“With pediatric speech therapy, normal hearing needs to be ruled in or out as a contributor to a speech deficit,” says Judy Levitan, Supervisor of SBMC’s Hearing Center. “Having our satellite office there provides a streamlined way to make that determination.”
Adult speech therapy services are also provided by the Speech, Language and Learning Center at the new location.
Room to Roam
This move nearly doubles the speech and pediatric rehabilitation space to almost 6,000 square feet, including a large gym for children who have problems regulating their sensory systems. “Our sensory gym will be state-of-the-art, including rock walls, zip lines and various swings,” Greenspan says. It will provide a multi-disciplinary treatment space for physical, occupational and speech therapy.
The new facility will allow for delivery of a wide variety of specialty services, including The Schroth Method. The Schroth Method, a nonsurgical approach to treating scoliosis, is offered by only a few centers because it requires a lengthy training and certification process. The new space will accommodate more availability for this highly effective specialized service.
Other areas addressed by speech and pediatric rehabilitation specialists include autism, speech, language and motor delays, attention disorders, cognitive deficits, post-concussion syndrome, feeding issues and more.
Pediatric rehabilitation and speech and language services are now offered at Saint Barnabas Medical Center’s Pediatric Specialty Center at 375 Mount Pleasant Avenue in West Orange. To learn more or to make an appointment, call 888.724.7123.