We are a tertiary referral center for patients across Long Island, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Our outpatient programs include a collaborative approach, as the care team treats patients with a wide range of diseases. During your child’s first visit, they will undergo a complete physical examination, take a urine sample for testing and your family history and any outside records will be reviewed. Once a diagnosis is made, our team will determine the best course of treatment for your child.

We have been recognized for many years as an excellent center for the evaluation and treatment of children with hypertension, and all physicians are skilled in the use and evaluation of ambulatory blood pressure machines (ABPM). When indicated, the physicians are able to perform percutaneous renal biopsies to aid in making a timely diagnosis in many of our patients.

Services are arranged with a wide variety of other divisions within the health system when those specialists are deemed necessary.These services include but are not limited to cardiology, urology, endocrinology, neurology, rheumatology, gastroenterology, psychiatry, anesthesia,  radiology, and interventional radiology. We have an ongoing relationship with the infusion suite, as many of our patients require intravenous therapy during the course of their treatments.

Nephrology patients admitted to the hospital are sent to units that have staff members specifically trained in the care of children with kidney disease. Pavilion 3 has private rooms that are suitable for dialysis machines, and there are experts available who are trained in peritoneal dialysis (should that be required).The pediatric intensive unit is equipped to care for our sickest patients. The staff is trained in dialysis, CVVH and other life saving measures. They are also well versed in the care of children in the immediate post-transplant period.

In addition to our knowledgeable doctors, your child's care team may include a nurse practitioner, nurses, a social worker and nutritionist.

Nurse practitioner

The division has a dedicated nurse practitioner (NP) who is primarily involved in the care of patients with end stage renal disease approaching transplantation. The NP is responsible for coordinating the transplant team and ensuring that the process—from the initial evaluation through ongoing post-operative care—goes as smoothly as possible. The NP is well-versed at communicating with multiple divisions within the hospital as well as outside institutions such as UNOS and a variety of laboratories involved in the transplant process. The NP is also responsible for the care of patients receiving therapies in the infusion suite.

Nurses

Our division employs three nurses, all with advanced certifications. Their responsibilities include:

• Direct patient care
• Coordination of services within the health system and the community
• Communicating with insurance companies
• Providing educational materials for children and families
• Ongoing teaching and mentoring
• Involvement in all aspects of clinical research

Social worker

The division has a full-time social worker. Inpatients, dialysis patients and all patients involved in the transplant process are automatically seen by the social worker. Outpatients may be referred for social work intervention by other members of the care team.

The responsibilities of the social worker include:

• Providing emotional support to patients and families
• Financial counseling including insurance options
• Connecting families with a wide variety of support services within the health system and the community, including transportation services and rehabilitation providers

Nutritionist

The division has a dedicated nutritionist. They are involved in the care of all dialysis patients, as well as in the evaluation and follow-up care of all transplant patients. The nutritionist is available to all outpatients at the request of one of the nephrologists or nurses.