Blythedale Children’s Hospital Hosts Feeding/Swallowing Conference for International Clinicians

June 18, 2012 - PRLog -- VALHALLA, NY –  The Department of Speech Pathology & Audiology at Blythedale Children’s Hospital hosted an on-site conference titled "Solving Complex Pediatric Feeding & Swallowing Issues" from June 9-10, 2012.  Dr. Joan Arvedson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BRS-S, an internationally renowned clinician and teacher, led the presentation which focused on problem solving with complex feeding and swallowing issues in infants and children.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have the ability to host conferences such as this one,” said Rita Erlbaum Kotorac, CCC-SLP, Blythedale’s Director of Speech Pathology and Audiology. “This gives us an opportunity to select speakers, like Dr. Arvedson, who are outstanding in the field and share their clinical insight and state of the art therapy approaches to match the needs of our population.”

Dr. Arvedson is Program Coordinator of Feeding and Swallowing Services at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. She also is Clinical Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin. She is also an ASHA fellow.

Thirty-seven clinicians, including speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and a physician, attended the two-day conference - some traveling from as far as Australia and Europe to attend. Through lecture and case analyses, participants developed a tool kit of intervention strategies for complex issues including: medically fragile infants and children, children with gastroesophageal reflux and other GI tract disorders, children with G-tubes, and picky eaters.

The conference was extremely well-received by attendees, who cited its highly beneficial information in treating a such a unique patient population.

Blythedale Children’s Hospital, which opened a new $65.3 million, 56,000 square foot inpatient building in December 2011, is currently constructing the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for Speech and Audiology at Blythedale. A $500,000 grant from The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is enabling Blythedale to provide a consolidated space for its vital speech pathology and audiology services. This Center will include treatment rooms with the latest technology, and a spacious audiology booth that can accommodate children in wheelchairs and stretchers. The Center is slated to open in November 2012.

About Blythedale Children’s Hospital
As New York’s only freestanding, specialty children’s hospital, Blythedale Children’s Hospital is dedicated to improving the health status and quality of life of children with complex medical illnesses and disabling conditions through superb multi-disciplinary patient care, teaching, research, and advocacy programs. Blythedale’s board-certified physicians, nurses, and other clinical staff (social workers, respiratory therapists, clinical pharmacists, Child Life specialists, etc.) and New York State’s largest hospital-based pediatric therapy department (PT, OT and Speech) work together to provide intensive and innovative multi-disciplinary clinical and therapeutic care to help children achieve their medical and rehabilitative goals for independent living, and return to their communities. Blythedale is also the only Hospital in New York State with its own, on-site public school district, the Mt. Pleasant Blythedale Union Free School District. For more information about Blythedale Children’s Hospital, visit http://www.blythedale.org