Transforming Moments

Bradford’s Story

Playing His Song

Seventeen-year-old Bradford loves music, noise and most anything loud. Although he can’t tell you with words, Bradford, a resident of the hospital’s Transitional Care Unit (TCU) is clear about his likes and dislikes. His brown eyes light up, his elbow starts tapping and his entire body comes alive when he’s doing something he likes, especially listening to music. If he’s not interested though, he has no problem falling asleep, even with drums beating in his ear.

Bradford’s mom, Tanya, had a typical pregnancy, but complications during birth resulted in Bradford experiencing a lack of oxygen to his brain. This led to diagnoses of cerebral palsy, mental retardation and a seizure disorder. Bradford also requires a tracheotomy for breathing and a gastrostomy tube for feeding.

Tanya took care of her son at her Chesterfield County home, with occasional help from nursing assistants, for eight years until the demands of Bradford’s care and the needs of her two young daughters became overwhelming. Unable to find local care, Tanya and her husband moved their son to St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children in Norfolk, Va. In Aug. 2002 space became available in Richmond, and the family transferred Bradford to Children’s Hospital of Richmond’s TCU.

Skilled Nursing Care

Open since 1999, the TCU offers round-the-clock skilled nursing care for infants, children and adolescents who are technology dependent and require routine use of a medical device. First opened with 12 beds, the TCU expanded to 23 beds in June 2002 and is currently undergoing a second expansion and renovation that will add another 24 beds by this fall.

The new Carolyn Bennett Arnold TCU, funded by a substantial bequest from Mrs. Arnold’s estate, includes design elements and patient room renovations intended to be child and family-friendly and promote a therapeutic environment. To maximize space, each child’s room has custom built-in cabinets for personal item storage. To reduce energy use, rooms are equipped with features like motion-sensor sinks and towel dispensers, overhead lights on dimmer switches and task lighting for overnight care. And to enhance care efficiency, medical monitoring connected to a display at the nurses’ station is available at each bedside.

To be child and family-friendly, color is used to identify different spaces on the TCU with green defining personal space, orange symbolizing activity areas and blue identifying bedroom entrances.  In addition, architectural elements like brightly colored arches, circles on the walls and wave-patterned floor tiles provide visual breaks to long hallways and walls. Patient rooms are grouped into two neighborhoods, Brook and Sherwood, with dedicated nursing stations and medication preparation rooms.

“It’s all about safety and our ability to take care of kids well,” said Pat Anderson, RN, MS, CRRN, Director of Inpatient Services.

Customized wheelchair parking and storage alcoves are located outside of patient rooms to keep each child’s equipment nearby. When the expansion is complete, the central corridor will house two activity rooms, four shower rooms and one deluxe bathroom with a whirlpool bathtub and beautician-style sink for washing hair as well as nursing and medication stations. Laundry facilities, clinician offices, a family conference room and staff lounge also have been added.

Page 1 of 2  1 2 >

Back to Transforming Moments

The information on this site is provided for informational and educational purposes only; it does not contain specific medical advice. If you have specific health questions or problems, consult a health care professional for personal medical advice.