Member’s Corner: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

At CHLA, the Rehabilitation Services department provides a variety of services and programs in the acute inpatient, acute inpatient rehabilitation unit, and outpatient settings. The Rehab team is actively involved in over 15 special clinics such as Spina Bifida, Craniofacial, Facial Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Hematology-Oncology, Epilepsy, Pulmonology, and others. CHLA is CARF accredited for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit and has been recognized for excellence by several national groups.

In recent years, the rehab program at CHLA has established integration of technology as one of their top goals. They regularly use tech equipment including Tyromotion, EKSO-skeleton, and Bioness and the rehab team is participating with the new CHLA Innovation Studio to explore even more cutting-edge technology, such as virtual reality, augmentative reality, and gaming platforms geared towards kids! Participation in research is also a priority for the rehab team and CHLA clinicians are extremely involved in several types – from IRB-approved research to informal performance improvement projects, many of which collaborate with other specialties and providers.  Examples include: brachioplexus, EKSO-skeleton, maternal mental health, feeding/swallowing, and ototoxic effects on hearing.

The CHLA Audiology department is a highly specialized center for pediatric diagnostics in hearing.  With three different levels/settings just for sedated Auditory Brainstem Response testing, clinicians ensure exceptional accuracy in diagnosing hearing loss for children of all ages, particularly for complex and difficult-to-test populations.

To optimally treat the populations they serve, the CHLA Rehab Department created several innovative services and programs including:

• Pain Program:  Intensive 2-week inpatient pain program in collaboration with the CHLA Pain team and Psychology for patients with CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome).  This structured program includes an interdisciplinary approach with team meetings at pre-admission, weekly progress meetings, family conferences, individual family and psychology sessions built in, and discharge planning.  The program also uses a holistic and individualized approach, with options such as acupuncture, pet therapy, yoga, expressive arts and music therapies, Child Life, in addition to traditional rehab services.
• Handy Heroes Therapy Camp: A two-week, evidence-based, occupational therapy-driven camp for children with hemiplegia to promote functional improvements of the affected hand/arm through a combination of constraint-induced movement therapy and bimanual therapy embedded within an authentic camp experience.
• EKSO Camp: A two-week intensive outpatient camp focused on improving functional mobility using robotic exoskeleton and technology to improve gait, endurance, and strength.  This camp is for patients, between 5 feet to 6’2” with weakness in two limbs (ex: hemiparesis or paraplegia).  Technologies used during camp include gaming platforms for improved engagement while completing balance, standing endurance, and motor re-learning using traditional therapy interventions as well as innovative robotic exoskeleton.