Get Support:
For Seriously Ill Children

In pediatrics, the patient is the whole family. With Community PedsCare, we recognize the unique needs of children and their families and the value of a specialized program of support and resources.

What is Community PedsCare?

Community PedsCare is a pediatric palliative and hospice program for children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions. The program offers in-hospital and in-home medical, nursing, psychosocial, spiritual, volunteer and other services to support, comfort and care for children and their families.  The program was established in 2000 by Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, in collaboration with Wolfson Children's Hospital, Nemours Children's Clinic and the University of Florida.

Our palliative care services help to alleviate the suffering that accompanies the diagnosis of a life-threatening condition. Pain and symptom management, psychosocial and spiritual support, and respite care are some of the services provided in this holistic model of care with the goal of improving quality of life.

Our hospice services are employed when a child has a life expectancy of less than six months and has discontinued aggressive curative treatment.

What community needs does the program work to address?

Children with a progressive illness or sudden injury have a multitude of needs and their families are often left facing difficult decisions and ongoing stresses. The Community PedsCare team is there for the whole family. Counseling and spiritual support help parents and siblings deal with the strain. Volunteers give parents a rest by running errands or playing with the children and siblings. Social service professionals support parents by helping them secure needed resources within the community as well as provide emotional support when needed. Nurses and physicians act as a bridge to the medical community, coordinating with the child's doctors and providing pain and symptom management with visits at home and in the hospital. Grief and bereavement counseling, parent support groups and respite care are also available to help families cope.

How is the program funded and how can those of us in the community help?

While our hospice services are covered by Medicaid and most private insurance plans, palliative care is a relatively new service and one that insurance companies and Medicaid are not currently reimbursing. However, our patients and families are never denied access because of the inability to pay.

Charitable gifts to Community Hospice Foundation provide vital funding for this care. For information on how you can support the care for seriously ill children in our community, please go to the Make a Financial Contribution page on this web site.

For volunteer opportunities with children and families, please see Volunteer Your Time.

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Call 904.268.5200 for general information or 904.596.6500 for referral and admissions information.
©2006 Community Hospice of Northeast Florida. All rights reserved.