The residents of Southeast Orlando by now know the focus of Nemours Children’s Hospital is to provide expert pediatric healthcare to families in Central Florida. But other than the patients and their families, does anyone ever really stop to wonder what makes Nemours distinctive? What actually goes into pediatric care? What makes specializing in the care of a child different than the care of an adult?
The Child Life Program initiated by Barbra Meeks (former chief nursing executive) and Dr. Michael Campbell at Nemours is comprised of an entire department of educators. This department at Nemours in Orlando has been in existence since it opened in October 2012, however “Child Life” and Child Life programming has been utilized for nearly 40 years. The Child Life team is made up of individuals who come from other hospitals and institutions, bringing their own education, experience, and expertise. Their main focus is to comfort children during the painful and emotional situations that are sometimes associated with hospital care. The process of providing this concentrated education is accomplished in the understanding of how kids learn and react to conditions in a hospital environment.
Samantha “Sam” Garrett, a senior Child Life specialist, explains: “The Child Life Department focuses on the psychosocial, emotional, and educational ease of children who are hospitalized in a pediatric setting. We teach kids about tests and procedures that happen in the hospital and what they’re going to hear, see, taste, and touch in relation to their body. We help them understand how to cope through those painful and uncomfortable procedures using deep breathing, guided imagery, supportive touch, and disruption. We also provide normalization through play.”
Nemours has three areas designed for play and one area dedicated to teen patients. In these spaces, children experience an environment that allows them to have fun.
Children work through stressful situations using play; it’s how they understand and comprehend things. We want to make sure they have as many opportunities for that as possible. We have a robust program of six child life specialists, one child activity coordinator and a multitude of volunteers,” Garrett said.
Nemours has a variety of community partnerships at many levels from individuals who come on a consistent basis for expressive arts to those who donate toys and games. The hospital relies on important partners such as Home Depot and the Orlando Museum of Art to make the program a success. The greatest and most consistent involvement has come from the 501 Stormtroopers (www.501st.com), Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and SeaWorld volunteers, who have visited and donated to the children at Nemours every month since 2012.
Community members who want to become involved can visit www.nemours.org/service/support/orlsupport/childlife and click on the “Get Involved” tab. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old. The Child Life team will work with potential partners to participate based upon their talents and availability. Recycling and reusing materials as part of the program is commonplace, so the replacement of broken crayons is always appreciated.
Offered as part of the Child Life Program, the Expressive Arts Program was conceived by volunteers with the idea that an individual with a background in art could help hospitalized children creatively express themselves. Infusing art aligns with the principles and techniques at the core of the Child Life Program. Patients are better able to cope with the hospital environment and understand what’s happening to their bodies. Using art as therapy not only gives patients a creative outlet, but the process of correctly assembling different design elements of an art project allows them to better comprehend uncommon or new feelings and emotions often experienced during a hospital stay.
“We really just want kids to be kids and have a safe environment in which to express themselves, play, and explore; that’s our main goal,” Garrett said. “The hospital can be very scary, daunting, and challenging. If we can make it so children feel like they are safe, and in a home environment, our objective is met for the day.”