Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital is a United States 102-bed non-profit children's hospital set in the scenic neighborhood of Mt. Washington in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, that provides long-term care for children with complex health problems. MWPH is jointly owned by Johns Hopkins Medical System and

University of Maryland Medical System The University of Maryland Medical System (also known as UMMS) is a private, not-for-profit corporation founded in 1984 and based in Baltimore, Maryland. It owns and operates 13 hospitals (as of 2018) in Maryland, and has more than 2,500 licensed ...

. Funded by patient revenue and private charitable donations, Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital is a comprehensive sub-acute care facility for children from birth to young adult; MWPH provides transitional and support care for a variety of conditions, including

premature birth Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 weeks, very early preterm birth is between 2 ...

, serious and chronic illness, traumatic injury,

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inapp ...

, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, childhood obesity, diabetes, feeding problems, among others. Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital also has a unit at Prince George's Hospital Center in

Cheverly, Maryland Cheverly is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located very close to Washington, D.C., though not bordering it directly. The town was founded in 1918 and incorporated in 1931. Per the 2020 census, the population was 6,170 ...

. MWPH accreditations include

Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) is an international, non-profit organization founded in 1966 with the assistance of Mary E. Switzer, then U.S. Social and Rehabilitation Services commissioner. For some institutio ...

and

The Joint Commission The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c) organization that accredits more than 22,000 US health care organizations and programs. The international branch accredits medical services from around the world. A majorit ...

History

In 1922, Johns Hopkins social worker Hortense Kahn Eliasberg founded Happy Hills Convalescent Home at a home off Falls Road. On July 10, 1922, Happy Hills welcomed its first patient. During

The Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, Happy Hills appealed for state aid. The depressed economy left a large amount of real estate available, so trustees purchased The Whitelock Estate on West Rogers Avenue in Mt. Washington where the hospital sits today. On October 22, 1930, Happy Hills Home for Convalescent Children was dedicated. Dr. Wilfred H. Smith, Director of

Johns Hopkins Hospital The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. It was founded in 1889 using money from a bequest of over $7 million (1873 mo ...

, wrote to trustees: “Happy Hills has met a real need in Baltimore. I congratulate you on your success and upon the increase in your facilities. I prophesy that the future will demand of you still further expansion.” In the 1940s, the work load at the hospital placed further demands on staff, particularly nurses, who influence trustees to hire the first volunteer coordinator. Happy Hills celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1942. In that year, more than 2,700 children received care. The original founder, Hortense Kahn Eliasberg was honored in a presentation by Union Trust Company for her efforts and contribution to the health of the children of Baltimore.

Richard F. Cleveland Richard Folsom Cleveland (October 28, 1897 – January 10, 1974) was an American lawyer and civic leader who spent his career with the law firm of Semmes, Bowen & Semmes. He was the son of President Grover Cleveland. Whittaker Chambers ...

, the eldest son of the late U.S. President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

and last original founding member becomes Board President in 1952. With the prevalence of

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

, Mt. Washington cared for many patients admitted with the devastating disease. Happy Hills answered the patients’ needs with specialty areas of medicine, therapy, nutrition, education, and recreation. Improved technology meant the addition of

electrocardiograms Electrocardiography is the process of producing an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), a recording of the heart's electrical activity. It is an electrogram of the heart which is a graph of voltage versus time of the electrical activity of the hear ...

x-rays An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 Picometre, picometers to 10 Nanometre, nanometers, corresponding to frequency, ...

and laboratories. Happy Hills celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1964, having provided care for over 6,000 children.

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

noted “its likeness to a special pediatric hospital rather than a convalescent home.” In 1964 Happy Hills also began the journey to its name today. Starting with the changing of the name to Happy Hills Hospital in 1964, then in 1975 to Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital. Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital gained certification from

in 1979. Shortly after Joint Commission certification, the hospital received accreditation from

(CARF). Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital became the first children's hospital in Maryland accredited for comprehensive inpatient rehab, infant and early childhood development and respite care. On September 26, 1986, groundbreaking began for the new, expanded hospital. A few years later on September 15, 1989, Mayor Kurt Schmoke declared it “Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital Day” in Baltimore. The Outpatient Care Center opened in November 1990, providing a variety of outpatient services including orthopedic, adaptive equipment, and

Down Syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

clinics. In 1996, the hospital opened its sleep clinic which continues today, assisting with the diagnoses of a variety of pediatric issues. In 1997, a new unit opened at Prince George's Hospital Center. In 2000, the new outpatient center opened and was called the Jack & Mae Rosenberg Center for Pediatric Respiratory Medicine. Outpatient and Day Feeding Programs began to assist with feeding disorders in 2001. In 2005, the innovative Weigh Smart® program was added as a multi-disciplinary and holistic approach to pediatric weight management. It was followed in (2009) by Weigh Smart Jr. ® designed for weight management of toddlers and preschool-aged children and also involving medical, nutritional, educational and behavioral components. In 2006, MWPH entered into a unique joint ownership with University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins Medicine. The Center for Pediatric & Adolescent Rehabilitation (CPAR) renovations were completed. It included a colorful Baltimore street theme, flat screen TVs, mobile computers, a new play area and transitional apartment for families. In addition to the CPAR renovations, a modern and larger rehab pool was installed in the Rehabilitation wing. In 2010, the Concussion Clinic opened, along with the Balance Clinic, including the new state-of-the-art NeuroCom® equipment. In addition, the Community Advocacy program began with the goal of reaching out to more residents of the Baltimore community to increase awareness of current health issues important to families. In 2011, MWPH was recognized as one of 217 hospitals in the United States receiving Stage 6 HIMMS designation for its use of electronic medical records.

Programs Operated

The hospital has been recognized for establishing one of the first programs in the region addressing

childhood obesity Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or well-being. As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI. Due to the rising prevalence of ...

. Other programs include:"Programs and Services at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital," From: MWPH Website
/ref> *Asthma/Respiratory Diseases *Balance Clinic *Center for Neonatal Transitional Care (CNTC) *Concussion Assessment & Management Program (CAMP) *Developmental Evaluation Clinic *Diabetes Clinic *Endocrine Clinic *Gastroenterology *Infusion Service *Lead Treatment Program *Neurodevelopmental Services *Neuropsychology/Psychology *Orthopaedics *Pediatric Chronic Illness Program *Audiology Services *Feeding Day Program & Nutrition Services *Occupational & Physical Therapy *Physiatry *Speech and Language *Sports Injuries *Psychiatry *Pulmonary Clinic *Rehabilitation Day Hospital *Sleep Testing and Evaluation *Videofluoroscopy Swallow Studies *Center for Pediatric Weight Management and Healthy Living *Weigh Smart®/ Weigh Smart® Jr. *Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Evaluation and Management

References

External links

* {{authority control Children's hospitals in the United States Hospital buildings completed in 1930 Hospitals in Baltimore Hospitals established in 1922 1922 establishments in Maryland Mount Washington, Baltimore