To date, most of the children have entered the program through referrals from the Pain Treatment Service at Boston Children’s Hospital. However, many children have been referred by other physicians or have found the program via the website: http://www.childrenshospital.org/centers-and-services/programs/o-_-z/pain-treatment-services-program/multidisciplinary-services/the-comfort-ability.
Dr. Coakley emphasizes, however, that the program is open to the community, and she and her colleagues make every effort to accommodate interested families. The program costs $120 per family for the day. Although insurance does not cover the program, she notes that Boston Children’s Hospital can offer sliding scale fees or scholarships to families who are unable to pay and who qualify for financial support.
Dr. Coakley has recently helped facilitate the start-up of this manualized program at a children’s hospital in Nova Scotia. She and her colleagues are planning to share the program with other interested institutions in the near future.
Mary Beth Nierengarten is a freelance medical journalist based in St. Paul, Minn.
