Ventilator Integration Program (VIP)

At Hasbro Children’s Hospital’s Ventilator Integration Program, we provide medical care for infants, children and young adults with chronic respiratory problems who are dependent on medical technology. We work together with primary care physicians throughout the area to provide care fitted to each child’s needs.

The Ventilator Integration Program (VIP) uses the patient and family center care model. We involve and educate patients and families in all aspects of care, including the technology used by the patient.

Most of our patients require a home ventilator to help them breathe due to problems associated with lung disease, weak breathing muscles or a neurological disorder. The majority of these children also have other medical needs—for example, care for a tracheotomy tube, care for a feeding tube, or maintaining good nutrition—that require regular communication with other pediatric specialists. In addition to providing medical care, our program coordinates additional specialized care for our patients.

The VIP Team includes:

• Our patient's family
• Pediatric pulmonologist
• Pediatrician
• Nurse Practitioner
• Respiratory Therapist
• Speech Language Pathologist
• Parent Consultant

VIP Clinic Visits

Clinic visits for the VIP take place at the Hasbro Children’s Hospital Children’s Neurodevelopment Center (CNDC) located on the first floor of Rhode Island Hospital. The area is designed to be comfortable, welcoming and family friendly. The clinic meets on the first, third and fifth Wednesday of each month. Clinic visits are often coordinated with appointments with other specialists at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.