Children’s Medical Fund Pledges $10 Million to Cohen Children’s Medical Center

NEW HYDE PARK, NY – Thanks to a $10 million commitment from the Children's Medical Fund of New York to name the Children's Medical Fund Center for Diagnostic Studies at Cohen Children's Medical Center, the hospital will soon house the only magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines in the region specifically dedicated for children. The customized scanners are scheduled to arrive this fall. Cohen Children's celebrated this new gift from the Children's Medical Fund by including their logo on the façade of the children's hospital.

This transformational gift is the latest of many from a tremendous partnership with Children's Medical Fund, a stalwart philanthropic supporter of Cohen Children's Medical Center for 50 years.

The new Children's Medical Fund Center, currently under development on the fourth floor of the new pavilion at Cohen Children's, will allow Northwell Health's youngest patients to receive MRI imaging in an environment that caters to children—reducing anxiety associated with the testing. The new Center will also alleviate the need for doctors to send patients to neighboring Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center, which will enable maximum efficiency among clinical divisions. Once fully operational, Cohen Children's anticipates imaging more than 4,500 patients each year.

"This kind of financial support helps us build on our foundation of excellent pediatric care," said Charles Schleien, MD, executive director of Cohen Children's. "The suite is designed for children, not adults, and will have amenities that will make children feel at ease during the procedure. This is the latest step in our ongoing commitment to providing the best care possible for children."

The Center will contain pleasant distractions for children undergoing an MRI through customized visual themes, such as the ability to select the color of the room and project videos onto the walls. Additional features include special MRI goggles that allow children to watch movies during the examination, and a mock scanner, which child life specialists can use to reduce anxiety and prepare young patients before the exam.

"The Children's Medical Fund of New York shares Northwell Health's commitment to putting patients first," said Gina Segreti, executive director of Children's Medical Fund of New York. "Children are patients with different needs than adults, and when we realized we had an opportunity to improve their experience and reduce their stress, we wanted to be a part of that."