Family-centered care from specially trained experts

Children's Memorial has a reputation for some of the finest physicians and nurses anywhere. What many people may not realize is that the hospital is also renowned for its social workers , child life specialists , volunteers — and on occasion — jugglers and therapy dogs. These dedicated individuals work side by side with the medical and nursing staff to contribute to an atmosphere of healing for children and families.

Through the work of Family Services, where programs range from social work, pastoral care, and ParentWISE to child life play therapy groups and an interactive closed-circuit television station, Children's Memorial continually demonstrates the value it places on care for the whole family.

Family Services address the emotional, social and spiritual needs of the hospitalized child and his or her family. Among these are arts and recreation, tutoring, preparation for medical procedures, child-friendly care, family resources, culturally appropriate care, pastoral care, bereavement counseling and much more.

"Ultimately, Family Services at Children's Memorial is about whatever families need," says Don Camp, administrator of the Family Services program. "Each family has unique needs as they navigate the challenging process of a child's illness or injury. We do our best to ensure that these needs are addressed."

Although Family Services are integrated throughout the hospital facility, its metaphorical center emanates from the Janice and Kimberly Brown Family Life Center on the hospital's fifth floor. Here, computers, games, toys, books and activities for children and adults are everywhere — creating a virtual wonderland of recreation within a state-of-the-art pediatric health care facility.

"The Brown Family Life Center is amazing. It's a beautiful setting where there is so much to do," says Iren Hianik, mother of Natalie, 5 and Rachel, 7. "When you spend a lot of time at the hospital as we have, it's great to have a place for children where they can just have fun. Natalie can go to get her mind off treatments and Rachel can enjoy the activities for patients' siblings when she's here." Since infancy, Natalie has been treated for Treacher-Collins Syndrome, a cranio-facial disorder. Now, she also is treated for Diamond Blackfan Anemia, a blood disorder in which the body doesn't produce red blood cells, and comes to the hospital once a month to receive blood transfusions.

Philanthropy makes it happen Many of the resources that families like the Hianiks enjoy are the direct result of philanthropic contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations and other organizations. K.I.D.S.S for Kids, which has raised more than $2 million for Family Services, is just one of the many dedicated organizations that helps to sustain this important component of care.

In addition to helping children and families play while in the hospital, Family Services often provides a critical complement to the clinical treatment that a child receives through services like the social work department.

"Clinical teams value the professional perspective that our services bring to the healing process," says Camp. "They recognize that what we do is an important part of caring for families and aids in healing."

For many children and family members, just having an individual other than a direct care provider ask how they"re doing, offer practical assistance or a sympathetic ear or give them an arts and crafts activity can make a tremendous difference while in the hospital.

While treating an injured child who had been struck by a car, an emergency medicine specialist turned away from an extremely frightened-looking nine-year-old patient to check the child's test results. When she turned back, the child was smiling as she told the emergency room social worker that, yes, Justin Timberlake was really cute, but that he was already dating Britney (Spears).

The doctor remembers, "We had done our job — no c-spine injury or pelvis fracture would be missed on our watch. But without the social worker, we might have missed something else: that our patient was a little girl, and getting hit by a car and brought to the hospital was a terrifying thing — until a Children's Memorial social worker took the time to talk, listen, distract, comfort and care."

[ Note: this article appeared in the Summer 2002 issue of Building Blocks, a publication for friends of Children's Memorial Hospital.]