Calvert Kids
What is Calvert Kids pediatric hospice care?
Calvert Kids, an Alliance Kids Network partner, is a pediatric hospice program that provides expert and compassionate care to children of all ages (infants through young adults) who are living with a life-limiting illness and their families. Children are cared for in their own home, surrounded by the people and things they love. Each child and family is treated as the unique individual they are, and the Calvert Kids team respects each family’s individual needs and wishes.
Can my child still receive treatment and keep their current doctor/medical care team?
Yes! Children are entitled to receive concurrent care. Concurrent care means that children can continue to receive curative treatments while also benefiting from the support and services that hospice provides. Your child can receive the treatments, medications, and procedures needed while also receiving the full spectrum of hospice services. Calvert Kids understands that you trust your current physician / medical care team, and we are not here to replace them. Instead, we increase the size of the care team and work closely with your current care team to make a specialized plan for your child.
What services are available through Calvert Kids?
Children and their families have access to the full spectrum of hospice services. This includes care from the Interdisciplinary Team made up of physicians (who work closely with the child’s doctors), nurse, social worker, chaplain, home health aides, volunteers, and bereavement counselors. This team will provide nursing care, including 24/7 on-call support, pain and symptom management, education about disease progression, hands-on personal care from home health aides, spiritual support, assistance in navigating benefits and resources, medications, and supplies, and support for the entire family.
Calvert Hospice is committed to ongoing education and has two staff members who have completed the PANDA Cubs Palliative Care Training Program with the Children’s National Health System, a specialized program for clinicians who provide pediatric end-of-life care. The training lasts 12 months and includes a two-day workshop, quarterly lectures on palliative care topics, monthly debriefings that include case study presentations and discussion of current palliative and end-of-life topics, and working with home hospice teams for education and training. The program also requires a one-day educational workshop during which participants present a pediatric palliative project. Dr. Stephanie Carpenter, Director of Medicine & Palliative Care for Calvert Hospice, and Kimberley Twitchell, RN Case Manager for Calvert Hospice, both graduated from the program in 2018. Amy Szatanek, LCSW, ACHP-SW, Director of Patient & Family Services for Calvert Hospice, and Terri Harmon, RN Case Manager for Calvert Hospice graduated from the program in 2019.
How is pediatric hospice care paid for?
Medicaid and most private insurance companies cover hospice care fully, and Calvert Kids helps with financial assistance if needed. If you have specific questions about hospice coverage, please don’t hesitate to call our office.
How do I learn more about Calvert Kids?
We are here to answer your questions. Please call our office at (410) 535-0892 or email calvertkids@calverthospice.org.
