Children and youth in Durham Region who need anesthesia support for medical procedures will have a new care option in Ajax this month, with children and youth with cerebral palsy the first to benefit.
The Grandview Anesthesia Procedure (GAP) Clinic at Grandview Kids is a partnership with Lakeridge Health. According to a Lakeridge Health story, the clinic is scheduled to begin offering care in May, bringing hospital-level anesthesia support into a setting designed for children.
The clinic is supported by $1 million in community donations through Lakeridge Health Foundation. It is intended to help families access specialized care locally when a child's developmental or physical needs make medical procedures difficult.
Lakeridge Health said procedures such as blood tests and examinations can be particularly challenging for some children with autism, cerebral palsy and other developmental or physical needs. Families have often had to travel for care or use hospital services that can be stressful.
Dr. Dipen Thakrar of Lakeridge Health said the environment in which care is provided can make a significant difference to a child's experience.
“We see how quickly routine procedures can become overwhelming for some children and their families,” Thakrar said in the Lakeridge Health story. “The challenge is often the setting and how the care is experienced.”
Thakrar said providing anesthesia-supported care in a familiar, child-friendly space can reduce stress, allowing families to concentrate on their child's medical needs rather than anxiety about the procedure.
The health organization also shared the experience of Sandra, a mother who spent more than a year seeking help for her son. He has autism and is highly sensitive to medical procedures, making treatment for an ingrown toenail difficult.
Sandra said three hospitals had turned them away. Despite her own background in health care, she struggled to find the support her son needed and described the search as emotionally exhausting.
“My son already feels comfortable at Grandview Kids, and now he can get the care he needs, in a place he knows,” Sandra said in the Lakeridge Health story.
Although children and youth with cerebral palsy will be the clinic's first group of patients, Sandra expressed hope about the partnership and the opportunity for the two organizations to provide care together in the community.
