The Integrative Health Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is a program that aims to integrate conventional medicine with complementary therapies in order to provide comprehensive care to pediatric patients. The program's mission is to support integrative approaches to healing and wellness by providing CHOP patients, caregivers and the community access to excellent and innovative clinical care, research and education.
The vision of the Integrative Health Program is to incorporate an integrative, whole-person approach into the standard of care at CHOP, driven by innovative clinical services, impactful research and quality education.
Integrative health is critical for effective quality pediatric care because of its holistic approach to healthcare that considers the whole child's physical, emotional and spiritual health. Supporting a child's whole health requires the inclusion of nonpharmacological complementary therapy methods for pain control and other symptom management. These treatments have been proven to be successful in lowering stress, anxiety and pain while also improving sleep, digestion and general health.
The CHOP Integrative Health Program is actively helping meet the growing demands for integrative healthcare among patients and families by integrating these therapies into the standard of care. The program provides a range of services, including acupuncture, massage therapy, nutrition counseling, mindfulness-based stress reduction and yoga. In order to develop and advance the field of integrative medicine, the program conducts research and collaborates with other healthcare practitioners.
Additionally, Integrative Health values parental involvement in a child's care. The program gives parents the tools and knowledge they need to support the incorporation of integrative techniques into their child’s everyday routines and take an active part in their child's healing process.