Child Life specialists are part of the unique Child Life program that is offered free of charge to pediatric patients and families to provide a safe, secure and pediatric-friendly environment. This particular position will help reduce the negative impact of hospitalization through distraction techniques and medical play. Child Life specialists talk through procedures in words kids understand and use dolls to “show” young patients what procedures may happen to them, to help normalize the scariness of an ED visit for children and families. This position is critical, since being in an “emergency setting” can be particularly traumatizing.
In the ED alone, this particular specialist sees more than 20 patients per day and more than 7,000 patients per year on average. The Child Life program at Miller Children’s is one of the few program s of its kind to be offered at a children’s hospital with a goal of reducing anxiety produced by the stress of hospitalization and understanding of medical procedures.
“We are so grateful for the continued partnership with Toyota Motor Sales for this grant,” said Rita Goshert, manager of the program at Miller Children’s. “Child Life is an indispensible part of the ED healthcare team for our patients and fa milies. This grant will allow us to provide a Child Life specialist in our emergency department seven days a week.”
For more than 19 years, Toyota Motor Sales, USA has been supporting Miller Children’s in some capacity, from helping to purchase medical equipment to capital campaigns such as helping build out the new Miller Children’s pavilion.
“The relationship we have with Toyota is so valuable,” said Jim Normandin, president, Memorial Medical Center Foundation. “We look forward to partnering with them in their future philanthropic endeavors.”
