Areas to support at Hasbro Children’s Hospital
Area of greatest need – By giving to the area of greatest need, your unrestricted gift is instrumental in helping us provide the high quality, family- and patient-centered care that our patients have come to expect, while allowing us to react quickly to the changing needs of healthcare. Supporting the "area of greatest need" helps us offer programs like the Medical-Legal Partnership and Connect for Health that impact the long-term health of vulnerable and low-income populations; enhance family-centered care with technological resources like the GetWellNetwork in all patient rooms; and offer a community-based asthma program that addresses triggers in the home environment.
Child Life Services – Imagine what it’s like to be a child rushed to the emergency department after a car crash or a child with severe stomach pain and high fever who is admitted to the hospital. You don’t understand what is happening or why you are there. Then someone comes in and talks with you, not at you. She has time for games and songs and distracts you from the pain. And, she explains what’s going on—in a way that makes sense. That hero is a child life specialist. From using candy to help a young girl learn how to swallow pills before she can be discharged, to demonstrating on a teddy bear what the surgeon is going to do to fix a child’s bellyache, child life specialists use play to help children understand and cope with their illness or injury, tailoring their approach to the child based on age, development, family history, culture, and past experiences. Child life also brings fun and laughter to the hospital environment, helping to ease the children’s anxiety and fear so they can participate in their treatment and get back to feeling better.
Healing Arts Program – Creativity and imagination are important parts of a child’s life—and a child’s overall health. In fact, there is clear evidence physical health is integrally linked to emotional and spiritual well-being and that the arts can play a critical role in the healing process. Funded completely through philanthropy, our Healing Arts Program offers a full range of visual arts, music literacy, and performance programs to comfort and aid in a patient’s recovery.
Children are naturally creative. When a child is sick or injured, music and art can be extremely therapeutic and can humanize the health care experience. Whether creative arts workshops in the emergency department that address the anxiety and fear children and families may experience while waiting, or the professional musicians and artists that visit patients in their hospital rooms and work one-on-one or with small groups of children both during their stay with us and in an outpatient capacity, the healing arts have become an essential part of patient care. Both the medical and psychiatric needs of the child are addressed by fostering self-expression through art therapy. Our Healing Arts Program continually strives to expand program offerings so as many children as possible can experience the healing benefits of music and art.
If your group is interested in supporting another area at the hospital, please note that on your online form and we will contact you to discuss the options.