Hackensack Meridian Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital announced a five-year, $3.5 million commitment from The Valerie Fund to expand its Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care Program.  

The funding will establish The Valerie Fund Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care Program at the children’s hospital, located at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack. 

According to a Nov. 3 announcement, the funding will allow the hospital to double the number of patients it cares for annually, growing from approximately 1,750 to 3,500 visits.  

The commitment will fund several new positions at the children’s hospital, including a:  

• Full-time social worker 
• Dedicated pediatric pain management psychologist 
• Creative arts therapist 
• Nurse navigator 
• And an additional clinical nurse specialist 

The pediatric program promotes quality of life, healing and support for children facing chronic, complex or advanced illness. It’s the only pediatric palliative care program in New Jersey certified by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations, according to Hackensack Meridian Health.  

“This support will fundamentally change how we deliver care,” said Dr. Stacey Rifkin-Zenenberg, section chief of pediatric pain and palliative care. “It allows us to build the interdisciplinary team we have dreamed of—a team that can address not just physical pain, but the anxiety, depression and emotional distress that accompany a serious diagnosis.”

Rifkin-Zenenberg noted that the additional staffing made possible by the gift “means more time with patients, better outcomes and a profound improvement in the quality of life for the children we serve.”

This support will fundamentally change how we deliver care.
– Dr. Stacey Rifkin-Zenenberg, Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital

Fighting back

Sue and Ed Goldstein established The Valerie Fund after their 9-year-old daughter, Valerie, died of cancer in 1976. The organization’s mission is to support comprehensive health care for children battling cancer and blood disorders. 

Recently recognized by U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-2026 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings, the Sanzari Children’s Hospital notes that more than 75% of the pediatric palliative care program’s consults serve hematology-oncology and stem cell transplant patients, aligning with The Valerie Fund’s mission.

“We see the immense burden that serious illness places not just on the child, but on the entire family,” said Barry Kirschner, executive director of The Valerie Fund. “By funding the creation of The Valerie Fund Program for Pain and Palliative Care [at the Sanzari Children’s Hospital], we are ensuring that these brave children and their families receive the complete, compassionate care they deserve.”