It was 10 years ago that the families of the Rockaways and surrounding areas received a unique boost to the health of their children, when Angels on the Bay, a pediatric unit of unique design and purpose was dedicated at Peninsula Hospital.
And so it was that hospital staff, administration, officials and guests reassembled a decade later to mark the occasion, recalling the huge success the unit has achieved and the integral part it continues to play in the health and well being of its young patients.
The in−patient unit, which serves a maximum of 14 young people ages newborn to 18, turned from dream to reality thanks in large part to a grant from the Angels on the Bay Foundation. The brainchild of Frank Russo and family of Russo’s on the Bay, the foundation was created specifically to help foster and improve pediatric care anywhere the need exists.
To help guide the project, Nancy Vardakis, a member of Peninsula’s board of directors and a generous philanthropist in her own right, worked with designers and architects to implement her singular vision for the unit.
Basing its design on the waters which surround the community, the unit was designed with an ocean theme that would be particularly appealing to its young patients.
That original vision for the unit remains the guiding inspiration behind Angels on the Bay to this day: a center for care focused on children and their very specific needs.
Dr. Olajide Olawepo, a Board certified pediatrician, who has been with Angels on the Bay almost since its inception, and is the director of the unit, notes, “This is a completely kid−friendly place. From the entranceway, which offers a sports theme, to the large aquarium and the nautical art work that appeals to children, everything about the unit is done from a kid’s point of view.”
And so, too, the highly skilled staff is specifically trained for the care of pediatric patients, with pediatric nurses and Board certified pediatric physicians, who understand both the medical and the non−medical needs and concerns a child may have.
Walking into the unit you immediately note the mellow, calming atmosphere; the special soothing lighting; the non−clinical ambiance that has a special reassuring effect for children.
There’s a play room dedicated exclusively to the children. Each patient room (whether private or with a maximum of two beds) boasts its own LCD television and remote with special video, Playstation and a full gamut of video games.
For parents who so desire, they are encouraged to spend as much time with their children as they wish. There are lounge chair⁄bed combinations next to every patient bed — like a first class airplane seat that reclines — so parents can sleep over.
Indeed, even the food is different; kids can enjoy favorites such as chicken fingers, fries and ice cream, as long as special dietary requirements are followed.
Everything about Angels on the Bay is to make the children as comfortable and at−ease as possible during this stressful time of illness. It is a homey place in which children feel very safe.
Says Dr. Olawepo — or Dr. O as he is known by the kids and parents — “some kids actually want to stay when they are told it is time for them to go home. They are that comfortable and happy here.
“The children recuperate better in a place like this; we reduce the stress and fear factors that children will normally have. They recover faster and better from disease and we have even seen shortened stays because of their positive attitude,” explains Dr. O.
“Parents naturally have a very negative or sterile view of a pediatric unit in a hospital,” notes Dr. Olawepo. “They are even fearful to admit their child because of experiences they may have had elsewhere in the past or because of stories that have been related to them about other facilities. When they come here all that changes,” says the doctor. “Indeed, we even invite parents to tour the unit even if their child currently has no need of our services. After they do they have gained a real reassurance that their child will be well cared for in a place that has many of the elements of home.
“Parents are constantly praising the unit and staff and that is a very humbling and rewarding thing for us.”
In addition to Dr. O, Angels on the Bay is staffed by dedicated professionals including Head Nurse Dale Murray and registered nurses Dulse Martinez, Theresa Pakingan, Dionne Bailey and Edna Natividad, along with assistant nurses Rhonda Kellman, Olufummila Adeyemi, Marie Smith, Irene Court and Roslyn Morgan.
Board certified pediatric physicians include Dr. Muhammad Hasan, Dr. Ernest Simela, Dr. Geoffrey Achonu and Dr. Seyed Heydapour.
