Helen Bernardy Center for Medically Fragile Children

The Helen Bernardy Center for Medically Fragile Children is a skilled nursing and subacute facility for children and adolescents. It is a non-profit institution located on the campus of Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego.

For the third consecutive year (2009, 2010, 2011), U.S. News & World Report ranks the Helen Bernardy Center for Medically Fragile Children among the best nursing homes in the country out of more than 15,500 facilities.

Care Provided

Registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, licensed respiratory therapists, and certified nursing assistants provide 24-hour nursing care to all residents. Attending physicians monitor all residents regularly, at which time the resident’s treatment plan and any specialist recommendations are reviewed. Bernardy Center staff members coordinate appointments at Rady Children's specialty clinics, and residents are accompanied to appointments by their parents and/or staff.

Admission Criteria

Those who qualify for admission:

• Must have a medical condition that warrants 24-hour nursing care.
• Must be non-ambulatory.
• Must be 15 years old or younger at the time of admission.
• May have a tracheostomy and may be ventilator dependent. (For our tracheostomy brochure, click here: English/Spanish.)

Our Interdisciplinary Team

Our Interdisciplinary Team includes the Program Director, physicians, licensed nurses, occupational, physical and recreational therapists, a dietician, a social worker, and certified nursing assistants. Interdisciplinary Team members also include the resident’s parents/guardians, the San Diego Regional Center Service Coordinator and a San Diego Unified School District teacher.

This Interdisciplinary Team meets quarterly for each resident to monitor the appropriateness and effectiveness of each resident’s individualized program.

Outdoor Recreational Activities

Recreational activities are both on- and off-campus. Some on-site recreational activities include canine therapy, music time, arts and crafts, and birthday parties. Some off-campus recreational activities include trips to the San Diego Zoo, the Wild Animal Park, SeaWorld, Mission Bay, Padres Games, the Del Mar Fairgrounds and the SkateWorld Roller Rink.

Family Involvement

We recognize the importance of your child’s psychosocial needs. For this reason, we welcome all family members and family-approved visitors to visit as often as they’d like during our normal visitor hours. Our normal visiting hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day of the week. We also provide caregiver training and education for each family member so they can participate in their child’s daily care needs and take their child off campus for outings in the community or overnight stays at home on special occasions.

If you’d like to learn more about us and tour the facility, please call our Admissions Coordinator at 858-966-5833.