A Safe Place to Heal Bone Marrow Transplant Outpatient Clinic

About two years ago, support from families whose children were treated for cancer, sickle cell disease, and severe immune diseases at Children’s National, and members of the community, including the Children’s Cancer Foundation, helped to create a state-of-the-art bone marrow transplant (BMT) outpatient clinic. Following a transplant, children must return to the hospital for follow-up appointments, sometimes multiple times per week for months. Before the clinic opened in 2011, these families would have to wait for treatment in the same area as other sick children. Because of their child’s weakened immune system, a side effect of treatment, exposure to children with contagious illnesses was stressful for families. Now, families have a safe place to receive comprehensive care. "Our families are pleased with a much more efficient clinic where we can run tests, monitor the success of the transplant, provide chemotherapy and transfusions, harvest stem cells, and provide treatment to reduce pain and disease exposure without admitting children to the hospital," said David Jacobsohn, MD, ScM, Chief of the Blood and Marrow Transplantation Division, and visionary of the clinic. "This is truly improving the patient experience." Learn more about the program.