BRIDGES Adult Transition Program

We provide:

• Transition planning with adult primary care and specialty providers
• Age-appropriate medical care
• Self-care and self-management skill development
• Health care proxy/guardianship support
• Referrals to community resources
• Care coordination amongst health care providers
• Reproductive and sexual health (including fertility)
• Pre-operative clearance

Outpatient services

• With request by the primary team, the program does outpatient consults to help strategize an organized, safe, and age-appropriate transition plan as well as age-appropriate medical care for patients.
• We work directly with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and collaboratively with other hospitals to bridge services.

Transitional care support

Working from a quality and safety improvement perspective, we offer consultation to programs looking to improve their practices regarding transition planning, practice-level interventions, and programmatic efforts.

From a patient: “I am a 23-year-old living with CF. I am a patient of the Bridges program and I can honestly say they have changed my life. Not too long ago I had trouble adhering to my medication regimen in large part because I would run out of my medications and then panic and then do nothing about until my next appointment which could be weeks or months later. The transition curriculum I’ve gone through with the Bridges program has helped progress to the point that I not only know what to do when I run out of my medications but I am able to proactively and confidently make sure that I never actually run out. The skills I’ve learned are invaluable and have allowed me to be much healthier and more active and able to lead a better and more fulfilling life.”

From a parent: “As my son moves into adulthood, the thought of transitioning away from the exceptional team of doctors and medical care providers at Boston Children’s Hospital was terrifying; leaving me paralyzed by fear. The BRIDGES team put my fear to rest and made me feel supported and confident my son’s transition would be a success. This program provides a comprehensive team of professionals that proactively cover every aspect of the transition planning. They are knowledgeable and explain what to expect and carefully review next steps. I can now approach this major change with confidence thanks to the amazing BRIDGES team!”

From a provider: “I am a metabolic physician and a clinical geneticist at Boston Children’s. It has been a great pleasure for me to work with the Bridges program. They have been instrumental in the care of our older metabolic patients at Boston Children’s. By necessity, our patients with inborn errors of metabolism require complex care and we see patients from all over the globe, including the adult patients, and the Bridges program has been really instrumental in providing the best care for these patients alongside our team. Whether it is clinical trials or the translational clinical care needs of our patients, the BRIDGES team has always been in our corner.”