Kentucky Children's Hospital Child Life Enhancement

To better meet the needs of children in our care, the Kentucky Children’s Hospital Child Life Department is expanding services to our ambulatory clinics and operating areas, as patients in these areas do not currently receive targeted child life services. This staffing expansion is supported by hospital funds, but we require additional support for this initiative to reach full success. Children in these service areas require unique care, and our intervention efforts will require specialized educational, sensory, and coping materials to support children undergoing invasive procedures. Along with providing for children experiencing surgical procedures, we’ll also be supporting children with unique sensory reactions. In order to create the safest and most comfortable environment for these children, we’ll be providing specialized education, environmental enhancements, and specially designed equipment. By providing child-friendly preparation materials and sensory-friendly distraction items, we’ll be able to consistently provide education, support, and psychosocial coping services to more pediatric patients across UK HealthCare. These specialized tools are necessary for our dedicated team of Child Life specialists to provide much-needed support and impactful interventions for kids receiving medical treatments. It’s important that each patient receive developmentally appropriate interventions, and these tools will provide a variety of resources and options so that our team can personalize care for each child. Kentucky Children’s Hospital child life services is seeking funding from enCourage Kids Foundation to purchase child-friendly medical play and teaching items, distraction and coping materials, sensory- friendly environmental enhancements, and sensory materials for child life specialists to utilize in these areas.