St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children has been named a Passy Muir Center of Excellence for its dedication to providing independence, dignity and enhanced quality of life to children who are tracheostomy dependent. St. Mary’s serves children with complex medical issues and is New York City’s only facility for long-term pediatric care. It is only the third pediatric facility worldwide to receive the designation. 
“Being named a Center of Excellence demonstrates St. Mary’s Hospital for Children’s commitment to providing the highest level of care. The entire team worked very hard for this recognition so that patients, family members and other clinicians in the community will know that we have a unique set of skills and experience to care for these patients with exceptional outcomes,” said Jessica Shaw, Assistant Director of Rehabilitation Services at St. Mary’s.
The Speech Pathology Department at St Mary’s works together with the Respiratory Therapy Department, Medicine and Nursing to assess all children who require a tracheostomy to breathe for Passy Muir Valve use. This multi-disciplinary team assesses all aspects of the child’s medical status in order to determine if Passy Muir valve use is appropriate to improve their quality of life. When a child is able to use this equipment, it restores their ability to produce voice, improves the ability to swallow and helps to wean the child more quickly from any respiratory support.
About St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children
St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children has been the primary provider of long-term and rehabilitative care for New York’s most critically ill and injured children since the 1870s. St. Mary’s Healthcare System is one of only a handful of organizations around the country that is dedicated to providing intensive rehabilitation, specialized care, and education to children with special needs and life-limiting conditions.
About Pass-Muir
Founded in 1985, Pass-Muir, Inc. is the leading manufacturer and distributor of communication devices for tracheostomized and ventilator dependent patients, including the Passy Muir Tracheostomy and Ventilator Swallowing and Speaking Valve, the only patented bias closed position “no leak” valve designed to fit adult and pediatric tracheostomy tubes. Passy-Muir, Inc is committed to improving the quality of life of tracheostomized and ventilator-dependent patients.
