New England Child Life Professionals celebrate Child Life Month

March event will honor professionals with over 25 years of service

March 27, 2008

Waltham, Mass. -- Surgical procedures, needles and IVs are some of the painful images a child might have in mind before visiting a hospital for the first time. Not knowing what to expect from the visit and the thought of having to stay at the hospital overnight may cause children to become nervous or even afraid of receiving medical treatment. These fears and worries are invariably put at ease once the child meets the person whose job it is to help them cope with the anxiety, separation and change associated with a hospital visit: the child life specialist.

Dedicated to improving the healthcare experience for children and families, child life specialists bridge the gap between home and hospital to help ensure a smooth adjustment to the hospital environment. They serve as liaisons between doctors, nurses and patients, doing everything from supervising educational activities at the bedside to mentally preparing patients for medical procedures through theraputic play. In short, they help the patient and family with the emotional aspects of care, while making it possible for children to remain children during hospitalization and times of crisis.

These unsung heroes of healthcare are being recognized this Friday at Children's Hospital Boston at Waltham where the New England Child Life Professionals, a regional professional organization, will be hosting their 3rd annual Child Life Month event. The theme to this year's Child Life Month Event is "Honoring Those Who Lead Us" and it will pay special tribute to Child Life professionals around New England who have served the field for more than 25 years. The 12 professionals who have dedicated most of their lives to helping hospitalized children are:

• Jacque Bell, Baystate Children's Hospital
• Bev Bruce, Wheelock College
• Marianne Cooney, Hasbro Children's Hospital
• Ginny Finn, Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center
• Myra Fox, Children's Hospital Boston
• Marilyn Gifford, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children
• Ellen Good, Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital
• Linda Goodale, Hasbro Children's Hospital
• Mallory Harrison, Emerson Hospital
• Marcia Hartley, Wheelock College
• Evelyn Hausslein, Wheelock College
• Diane Pucci, Winchester Hospital
• Claire White, Wheelock College

WHO: Child Life professionals from throughout New England

WHAT: Child Life Month celebration

WHEN: Friday, March 28
6:00 pm

WHERE: Children's Hospital Boston at Waltham
Deveber Conference Room
9 Hope Avenue, Waltham MA

Contact:
Jamie Newton
617-919-3110
james.newton@childrens.harvard.edu

Children's Hospital Boston is one of the nation's premier pediatric medical centers. Founded in 1869 as a 20-bed hospital for children, today it is a 397-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care grounded in the values of excellence in patient care and sensitivity to the complex needs and diversity of children and families. Children's is the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, the largest provider of health care to the children of Massachusetts, and home to the world's leading pediatric research enterprise. For more information about Children's, visit: www.childrenshospital.org/newsroom.