DOWNEY – Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center is poised once again to take pediatric rehabilitation to the next level with the recent appointment of Rancho’s new Chair of Pediatrics, Dr. Michael Bolaris.

Rancho has always believed in giving their pediatric patients a tremendous amount of support and opportunity to live a happy, productive, and independent life, a sentiment that is shared and embodied by Dr. Bolaris. “I feel that it’s our duty to guide these pediatric patients into adulthood and into being fully functional members of society.”

Dr. Bolaris continued, “Through our partnerships with the Rancho Los Amigos Foundation, Las Floristas, and the social work department, we are in a unique position to offer our patients help with their college education, give them experiences like team sports through our wheelchair basketball teams, and find a community that they can belong to through the various art programs and support groups.”

Individuals dealing with a spinal cord injury, brain injury, massive stroke, or any degenerative disease must confront a different set of lifelong challenges, which most hospitals do not have the financial resources necessary to assist these patients with the community reintegration portion of their recovery. The patient programs funded through the Rancho Los Amigos Foundation bridges this gap for Rancho’s patients by affording them the opportunities to discover and explore a variety of adaptive experiences.

When a child or young person is given the opportunity to gain independence through adaptive driving classes or find their unique talents through art workshops or team sports, they are able to see beyond their disability to focus on their ability. The Rancho Los Amigos Foundation is fortunate to partner with Las Floristas, a local non-profit dedicated to serving the special needs of children at Rancho with exceptional physical and/or cognitive challenges.

In addition to pediatric support groups, wheelchair sports, dentistry, a pediatric art program, and a multitude of inpatient recreation therapy programs, Las Floristas has been funding educational scholarships for Rancho’s pediatric patients through financial assistance for community colleges, universities and master’s level programs, as well as trade schools.

“Many of these young adults would not have the opportunity to attend higher education programs if not for the grants they receive from Las Floristas. Our program has grown over the last few years and now includes two fully funded four year award scholarships in addition to stipends offered to more than 40 students on an annual basis”, shared Amanda Settlage, Las Floristas Executive Director.

When asked what the future holds for Rancho’s pediatric programs, Dr. Bolaris stated, “Rancho is growing and ready to accept more patients. We can provide the specialty care that is needed and we have more transitional services than most other children’s hospitals.

“While we may still be a long way from my vision of a large, complete care pediatric center, we are on the right track. With the addition of Rancho’s new SHARK clinic (Strong, Healthy, And Resilient Kids), we not only focus on the physical health and well-being of the patient, but also the emotional issues these young people face.

“When you add in our community resource partners like the Rancho Los Amigos Foundation and Las Floristas, Rancho is already well on its way to providing the very best in continuum of care for our pediatric patients.”

For more information about the programs and services funded by the Rancho Los Amigos Foundation or to make a donation, call (562) 385-7053 or go to www.RanchoFoundation.org.