DESCRIPTION OF FACILITIES
CCCL is comprised of three facilities where patients undergo treatment: an outpatient facility/infusion unit, outpatient clinics, and an inpatient unit. CCCL outpatient facility welcomes a daily average of 50 patients with their accompanying parent/guardian; and the CCCL inpatient facility has 19 fully furnished beds where patients spend an average stay of 5 nights.
The outpatient unit consists of an outpatient infusion center and outpatient clinics.
Infusion Center
The outpatient infusion center is currently located on the 6th floor of the Emergency Department Building at AUBMC. It serves up to 35 patients per day for chemotherapy, procedures, IV antibiotics, and blood transfusions. Procedures such as lumbar punctures, bone marrow aspirates and biopsies are performed in the infusion unit under conscious sedation. These procedures are performed in a specially equipped room and a team from the department of Anesthesia at AUBMC administers conscious sedation. Moreover, patients are prepared in the outpatient area and referred for radiotherapy or for sophisticated laboratory and other studies such as MRI that require central device access and general anesthesia.
The infusion center has one main entrance and contains two treatment areas, a playroom, an examination room, an isolation room, administrative offices, nursing station, and reception area.
Outpatient Clinic
The outpatient clinic is currently located on the ground floor of Building 23 at AUBMC. It consists of a reception at the main entrance, a waiting area, a BMT sub waiting area, offices, two consultation rooms, one BMT clinic, and one assessment room.
During the year 2019, the number of procedures performed for patients under conscious sedation was 865 in total. These included 505 lumbar punctures (LP), 214 bone marrows, and 147 examinations under anesthesia.
CCCL’s inpatient facility is a multidisciplinary care unit currently located on the 6th floor of Main Hospital Building at AUBMC.
Patients are admitted to the inpatient facility for chemotherapy or other treatments requiring inpatient stay. The area is equipped for performing procedures such as lumbar puncture, blood transfusions, investigation and management, and for treatment of underlying complications most commonly being febrile neutropenia.
CCCL’s inpatient unit consists of 19 patient rooms. The unit contains one treatment room for procedures, as well as a playroom where children and families can take a break and enjoy some relaxation, social interaction, expressive art and music classes, yoga sessions and virtual or board games.
Wellness Program
In close coordination with the AUBMC Child Life team, CCCL helps children and their families navigate the psychologically, socially, and physically challenging process of coping with hospitalization.
As part of the healthcare team, Child Life specialists advocate for the special needs of children and their families. Child Life programs provide children with opportunities to engage in normal play and recreational activities that promote growth, development, and feelings of success and fulfillment.
Child Life Staff
Child Life staff members assist patients in both outpatient and inpatient facilities. Our staff is mainly composed of:
Child Life specialists: Child Life specialists are trained in working with children and adolescents in medical settings. They are professionally educated at the graduate level in child development.
Social workers: An expert social worker who assesses and addresses the patient’s and family’s social needs, and can refer families to governmental and non -governmental social organizations according to their social needs.
School teachers: Our volunteer teachers are professional experienced teachers with certified degrees in different aspects of education. They coordinate with the child life team to fulfill the educational needs of the patients, so that our patients meet their educational goals even during their treatment time.
Volunteers: Our volunteers are trained by the child life staff to help supervise play spaces and spend time with children. Volunteers help kids live their childhood as much as possible through play, culture and education. Parents or staff can request a volunteer through child life. For more information about our volunteer program, click the link: https://cccl.org.lb/p/37/Volunteer.
Some of the Child Life services for patients include:
- Prepare patients for medical procedures, using age-specific teaching tools such as models, dolls, medical equipment, and pictures
- Provide support during medical procedures
- Help children develop strategies such as imagery, distraction and relaxation to reduce anxiety.
- Educational Support Program for hospitalized children in the inpatient and outpatient facilities in addition to coordinating with each child's school to ensure class requirements are met while the child is in the hospital
- Art therapy
- Story telling
- Clowning program
- Special events from community groups and celebrities
- Sibling support
Other educational and entertainment activities and mental health support services sponsored by the Ministry of Social Affairs:
- Breathing and relaxation
- Expressive music
- Art lessons
- Yoga sessions
- Other age-appropriate activities
- Virtual Reality (VR) games
In addition to music lessons offered to all patients who wish to, sponsored by PepsiCo.
Champions Circle
Champions Circle is the club that joins all the survivors who have beaten cancer at CCCL. They range from all ages and meet regularly for activities and learning new skills.