We often think of childhood as a time defined by growth, development and good health. In reality, some children face the challenge of coping with a serious illness - whether their own or a loved one’s. At Hope, we understand children of all ages and their families have unique needs that are not addressed with traditional pediatric care.

Hope Child and Teen Care provides a variety of services for children and their families, including:

Pediatric Hospice Care
for children who have a life-limiting illness

Partners in Care: Together for Kids
palliative care services for children

Testimonial for Partners in Care:

I am the mother of a 10-year-old, severely disabled child. I moved to Florida this past year knowing that I needed to put doctors and services together for my son. Raising a disabled child is extremely difficult, and sometimes leaves the parent feeling lost, overwhelmed, and frustrated, on top of the daily care we still have to provide for our disabled child. I remained lost and overwhelmed until I was introduced to the PIC Program. PIC helped put things in order, from health care, to transportation, to spiritual and emotional support, that families in our special situation need. PIC not only put things back in perspective for me as far as creating a care plan for my son, they took a lot of the added stress and feelings of being overwhelmed away, so that we could function as closely to a normal family as possible. PIC helped me become a better and more able caregiver to my son. Thank you PIC!

You can also find more information about the Partners in Care program on the CMS website: http://www.cms-kids.com/CMSNPIC.htm

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Grief Support and Counseling
including support groups, one on one sessions, and bereavement camp.


Hospice Care
Hope Hospice provides developmentally appropriate hospice care to infants, children and adolescents with life-limiting conditions. Our focus is on comfort and quality of life. Our comprehensive hospice care is based on helping people to live each day as fully as possible. Our pediatric doctors and nurses understand the difference between children and adults. Children respond differently to illness and treatment, as well as medications. Therefore, a unique care plan is developed for each child.

The hospice approach to care is holistic and includes emotional, spiritual, and practical support in addition to medical care. These services are provided by an interdisciplinary team of experts: physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, personal care specialists, chaplains, homemakers, counselors and specially trained volunteers. The team works with the individual’s community doctors and other providers.

Additionally, expressive therapies such as art and music allow children to explore their emotions in a variety of ways: painting, collage-making, singing or playing an instrument. Integrative therapies, like massage, pet and aroma therapies offer additional methods of comfort and relaxation.

A Family-Centered Approach
Hope supports the child as well as the entire family. We provide hands-on training and education for family members or caregivers. Expressive therapies, counseling, and emotional support are also offered to the family, including other children.

Respite care is always available to support family caregivers.

Partners in Care
Hope participates in Partners in Care: Together for Kids (PIC-TFK), a program sponsored by the Agency for Health Care Administration, Department of Health (Children’s Medical Services Network), and Florida Hospices and Palliative Care . The program enables children with potentially life-limiting conditions and their families to access a supporting system of care that is continuous, compassionate, comprehensive, family centered and culturally sensitive from the point of diagnosis, with hope for a cure, through the provision of end-of-life care if needed.

Through PIC-TFK, children can benefit from Hope’s palliative (comfort) care services while still receiving care and services from other providers. Hope provides medical, emotional, spiritual and practical support to children and their families. Services include pain control and symptom management, in-home care, counseling, expressive therapies and respite care.

Grief  Support and Counseling
Our counselors know that serious illness affects the psychosocial well being of children of all ages. Hope’s professional staff can help restore a sense of family to those who have lost or may soon lose a loved one. Communicating and sharing feelings is critically important at this difficult time; our counselors allow children to express their normal needs and desires as well as feelings of anger, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, and isolation.

Support groups and individual counseling are available for children ages 5 to 18. Our counselors are also available to school groups, youth organizations and others who may need our assistance in coping with a crisis.

Rainbow Trails Camp: Mending Broken Hearts. Rainbow Trails is for any youth age 6 to 16 dealing with the loss of a loved one. The annual camp, held in early summer, provides support to those who experienced a death in their family during the past year due to any cause. We’re always available to discuss any special circumstance that may determine if Rainbow Trails will meet the needs of a child.

The goal of Rainbow Trails Camp is to provide: A safe weekend camp experience, an understanding of the grief process and their experiences, skills to cope with grief & loss, and an opportunity to memorialize their loved one.

While camp has a serious purpose, there are plenty of traditional camp activities that are fun and stress-reducing including crafts, swimming, singing and much more. Rainbow Trails is free of charge to campers. To find out more, receive an application, or make a referral please call (239) 985-7792 or (800) 835-1673.