Pediatric Respiratory Care at Children’s Hospital New Orleans
The Ventilator Assisted Care Program (VACP) at Children's Hospital is designed
to meet the unique needs of children who require mechanical respiratory
support at home. The VACP staff works with children and their families
to access medical, social and educational services in their communities.
The ultimate goal of the program is to help children gain greater independence.
The VACP serves children and young adults who live at home, qualify for
Medicaid and require mechanical respiratory support for all or part of
each day. Physicians, state and private agencies, healthcare professionals
and families refer children to the VACP when a need for long-term, complex
respiratory care is identified.
VACP offers Train the Trainer courses for School RNs, including Medication
Administration and Non-Complex Health Procedures: Teaching Clean Intermittent
Catheterization, Airway Maintenance, and Gastrostomy Tube Feeding.
For information about the Train the Trainer courses offered by VACP or
to register for a course, please email your request to
VACP@lcmchealth.org.
Three phases of the VACP
Phase I: The VACP provides family and caregiver training before the patient is
discharged to ease the transition of returning home.
Phase II: The VACP team develops a plan for care in the home and community.
Phase III: Staff coordinates outpatient care to assist the family in maintaining
the child’s health at home.
This program provides:
Ongoing support and identifies services to meet family needs
Training and consultation to healthcare personnel who provide routine care
to the child
24 hour on-call service seven days a week
Care continuity
The VACP team helps the family to obtain and coordinate healthcare services.
Crisis management
The team responds promptly to assist families with multiple and immediate
medical or social needs.
Disability adjustment
We provide information and support for families experiencing difficulty
understanding and accepting the implications of chronic illness and disability
relating to hospitalization, treatment, and daily living.
Educational needs
We assist in accessing educational, vocational or early intervention services.
We can also assist school systems in planning school health regimens and
emergency plans. The program offers orientation, training and technical
assistance to faculty, staff and student body in preparation for educating
students with complex health needs.
Family identified needs
We assist the family in identifying and meeting needs that occur before
or after a patient returns home.
Health management
We help to educate families on medical care and treatment response. The
team works with physicians and other healthcare providers to ensure the
best health for the patient.
Medical service coordination
The VACP team helps to coordinate clinic and therapy appointments. We work
with the patient’s family and physicians to identify and schedule
needed treatments and hospitalizations.
Parent to parent support
We help to connect parents and caregivers to other families in similar
situations.
Training
We teach family and community care providers how to effectively care for
individuals who are ventilator assisted.
Referrals
Referrals to the Ventilator Assisted Care Program at Children's Hospital
may be made during any of the program's three phases. The client does
not need to be a patient of Children's Hospital to be eligible for transition
planning or outpatient case management. To refer a patient or obtain information,
contact the Ventilator Assisted Care Program at
504.896.9228.
