Resources for Families

Child life specialists help children simply be children. They use play to connect with children and minimize the psychological trauma of staying at the hospital.

Our child life specialists work closely with you and the heart care team to learn as much about your child as possible. They can coordinate things like pet therapy and music therapy.

Learn more about our child life program.

Conine Clubhouse, named in honor of World Series champion Jeff Conine and his family, opened in May 1997 to serve as a "home away from home" for families of children receiving medical care at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital.

Here, families can stay free of charge (based on availability) in a comfortable and nurturing environment. Since opening, the Conine Clubhouse has housed many families from across the United States and other countries.

Find out more about the Conine Clubhouse.

The right nutrition plan helps a child heal faster. That’s why we have a dedicated cardiac nutritionist who sees children in the hospital and on an outpatient basis. As part of the team that takes care of all aspects of a child’s health, the nutritionist develops an individualized nutrition plan for each child. We take into account medical, cultural and individual needs for each child, and get input from the family as well.

Palliative care is sometimes known as comfort care. It’s aimed at helping relieve symptoms at any stage of a condition. Our Pediatric Palliative Care Team is made up of experienced, compassionate professionals, skilled health care providers and community partners.

We work closely with each patient and their family to relieve physical, psychological, social and spiritual distress.

Call the team to learn more at 954-265-7728, or read more about palliative care.

Our dedicated cardiac pharmacist monitors all medication for children in the hospital and those receiving outpatient care. The pharmacist may recommend adjustments or additional therapies when appropriate. We always include families in discussions about medication.

Heart conditions affect children physically as well as mentally. To meet children’s social and emotional needs, we have a dedicated psychologist as part of the care team. The psychologist is available to counsel children and their families. We may recommend specific therapies or types of rehab. We also offer specialized testing when needed.

Congenital heart disease and other heart conditions affect children in many ways. These children often need help gaining physical strength or catching up cognitively. To help, we offer inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services.

The Memorial Rehabilitation Institute at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital was the first hospital in Broward and Palm Beach counties to have a dedicated and distinct pediatric comprehensive medical rehabilitation unit. We also have rehab services for adults.

Learn more about our rehabilitation programs.

Navigating a hospital and coping with a child’s health condition can feel overwhelming for families. Hospital social workers are here to help. Throughout the entire treatment process, they act as advocates, helping children and their families:

• Understand a particular illness and its treatment
• Work through the emotions of a diagnosis
• Make important decisions

A social worker can also help parents resolve the social, financial and psychological problems related to a child’s specific health condition.

Being in the hospital can be overwhelming for children and families. Sometimes it helps to talk to someone. A chaplain is on call for spiritual guidance and can be reached at 954-265-5153.

We offer a range of support groups for children and families, including a group for families that have a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

When children are in the hospital, it’s easy for them to fall behind with schoolwork. That’s why we have a teacher from the Broward County school system here full-time to work with children in grades K-12.

We have a dedicated classroom for teaching and working on school assignments. Ask your care team if you’d like to learn more about tutoring at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.