More than twenty five years ago, families, businesses, community leaders and healthcare providers in the Yakima Valley came together to share their dream for a medical, educational and therapy center that would serve children and families with special healthcare needs. Many service providers had repeatedly heard concerns from families about the lack of coordinated and locally available services for these children.
In 1993 local agencies began working together to identify ways to improve and streamline services for children and families. Using information provided by families, service providers throughout the region formulated the concept of Children’s Village, a regional integrated center for children with special needs and their families, with multiple service providers all under one roof.
Today, that vision lives in a colorful, magical, fun and truly exciting medical facility. At Children’s Village, children with chronic health conditions get all of their needs met in one special place. In real terms, this means an end to driving all over town and out of town to find treatment specialists, dependable child care readily available for siblings, simplified registration forms due to shared computer systems, and a decrease in parents missing work while trying to juggle appointments and paperwork. To the families it serves, Children’s Village is a blessing and provides healthier, happier living for the entire family.
Among the many facility highlights are the fun and glittery mine shaft elevator; the beautiful, warm water therapy pond; and Miracle Street, a miniature town with a tree-lined street (hallway) and colorful flags that bring to life the donors and organizations who have committed their resources to the facility.
At its core mission, the center integrates health services, behavior services, mental health services and educational services to optimize daily life for the child and family.