Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Opens the Justin Michael Ingerman Center for Palliative Care

$3 Million Gift Helps Launch Center to Support Patient Care, Psychosocial Initiatives, Research and Recruitment

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Sep 26, 2019, 13:22 ET

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) expands its palliative care program with the opening of the Justin Michael Ingerman Center for Palliative Care. A generous donation of $3 million by the Justin Ingerman Foundation will help launch the next generation of services and care for CHOP's internationally recognized Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT).

"This amazing gift from the Ingerman family will enable CHOP to sustain its commitment to providing world-class clinical care and ongoing family support for patients who have serious or life-threatening illnesses," said Wynne Morrison, MD MBE, Director of Pediatric Palliative Care at CHOP. "The gift will also help us expand programs as our patient volumes grow and contribute new knowledge and expertise in a growing field of practice. We are so grateful to the Ingerman family for helping us do this very important work."

Many CHOP programs utilize PACT's services to support patients with serious or complicated conditions, as well as their families. PACT delivers palliative care to relieve pain and stress for patients and also provides emotional, social, spiritual and bereavement support for families. Additionally, CHOP offers perinatal palliative care services for families dealing with the diagnosis of a life-threatening birth defect. The program helps families plan for the remainder of the pregnancy and the time surrounding delivery.

Parents are not the only family members who need PACT services. Siblings of children with serious illnesses are at an increased risk for future physical and mental health issues, requiring special support and care. The Justin Michael Ingerman Center for Palliative Care will allow staff from social work, child life, art therapy and chaplaincy to increase the number of home visits and allocate additional funding and resources to support more families.

The expansion of palliative care at CHOP will also allow PACT to train more healthcare professionals in palliative care skills not only at CHOP, but other institutions. PACT will be able to reach more hospitals, teach medical staff how to support critically ill children and their families and share best policies and practices with other institutions.

Brad Ingerman and his wife, Laurie, and daughter Danielle, created the Justin Michael Ingerman Foundation in memory of their late son and brother.

"Knowing what we have gone through as a family, it is impossible for me to fathom what families go through when their child has a complex chronic illness for a prolonged period of time," said Brad Ingerman. "The commitment of CHOP's palliative care team is amazing and it is incredibly rewarding to watch the team grow and make an impact at CHOP and other hospitals."

In 2013, the Ingerman family made an initial $2 million gift to establish the Justin Michael Ingerman Endowed Chair in Palliative Care at CHOP, supporting the team in furthering their expertise in understanding how to meet the logistical, medical, emotional and spiritual needs of children and families facing serious or complicated conditions. This funding has also enabled the PACT team to participate in nationwide research collaborations that would not be possible without the generous donation of the Ingerman family.

About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 564-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.

Contact:
Jennifer Lee
267-426-6084
[email protected]

Amy Burkholder
267-426-6083
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SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia