Ochsner Hospital for Children Celebrates Opening of Michael R. Boh Center for Child Development

Leaders from Ochsner Hospital for Children, local dignitaries, and community members celebrated the opening of the Michael R. Boh Center for Child Development (Boh Center). The Boh Center is dedicated to improving the lives of children and adolescents with developmental disorders through comprehensive healthcare, research, and education. The Boh Center is located at 1319 Jefferson Highway, adjacent to Ochsner Health Center for Children.

Nearly 20 percent of children in Louisiana have special healthcare needs and one in 68 children falls on the autism spectrum. While the need is significant, healthcare resources in the Gulf South have been limited. The Boh Center is expanding access to pediatric subspecialty services and behavior and developmental pediatric resources for thousands of patients. Physicians and staff at the Boh Center will work collaboratively to treat a variety of conditions including:

-Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

-Autism spectrum disorders

-Cerebral Palsy

-Developmental delays

-Feeding disorders

-Intellectual disabilities

-Muscular Dystrophy

-Spinal Muscular Atrophy

-Spina Bifida

 Modeled after world-class facilities, including the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, the Boh Center was designed to create a healing, collaborative environment for children and their families.  The team at Ochsner Hospital for Children also created a Parents Advisory Committee, which provided valuable insights throughout the design and development of the Boh Center.

Current services and specialty clinics offered to patients include:

-Behavioral pediatrics

-Developmental delay assessment and treatment

-Developmental delay assessment clinic

-High risk developmental follow up clinic for Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) patients

-Intellectual disabilities education

-Occupational therapy

-Physical therapy

-Speech and language therapy

-Spina Bifida clinic

“There are few things as stressful as having your child face healthcare issues,” said Dr. William Lennarz, system chair of pediatrics, Ochsner Health System. “If you are the parent of a child or children with a special set of healthcare needs – whether it be autism or cerebral palsy – managing doctors’ visits and treatments while helping kids stay kids, is at least a full-time job. The Boh Center will change this reality for families by bringing pediatric subspecialists together to offer enhanced collaboration and convenience.”

“Ochsner Hospital for Children recognized a significant gap in healthcare resources and support for children with special healthcare needs,” said Dr. Susan Fielkow, medical director, Boh Center. “The goal of the Boh Center is not only to treat children when they come to see us, but to arm parents and caregivers with the tools they need to continue caring for their loved ones at home. It’s a privilege to be a part of something that will benefit our community’s most vulnerable patients.”

The Boh Center has future phases and several additional services and programs planned for 2019 and beyond. The Boh Center was made possible thanks to the generosity of community members and organizations, including Robert and Ann Boh who donated in memory of their son, Michael. Major donors for the Boh Center include The Almar Foundation; The Ann and Robert S. Boh Family Fund; Michelle and William Dodenhoff; Fore!Kids Foundation, Inc.; Millie and David Gaines; Aja and Thomas Harris; Stephanie and Pete November; Scott J. Posecai; Warner L. Thomas; Tres Doux Foundation; and Valero.

Ochsner Hospital for Children has offered exceptional pediatric care for more than 75 years.  Ochsner offers the only pediatric heart and liver transplant program in the state, serving more than 76,000 children every year with 120+ physicians specializing in more than 30 pediatric specialties and sub-specialties. Ochsner Hospital for Children’s flagship facility is in New Orleans, with subspecialty clinics across Louisiana and in Mississippi.

The Michael R. Boh Center for Child Development is now open and accepting appointments. To make an appointment or learn more, visit www.ochsner.org/boh or call (866) 624-7637.

11/06/2018