Child Life Council : Spotlight on Child Life

Spotlight on Child Life

Below is a list of articles and features about child life and child life specialists. Some have links to the actual stories, others can be accessed by visiting the publication Web sites and searching the archives. Please contact communications@childlife.org if you would like to submit other articles for inclusion here.

2009

Cincinnati Child Life Leader Receives Child Life Council’s Highest Honor, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Community Press, Danielle Lewis, April 20, 2009

EXCERPT: "The Child Life Council, the leading nonprofit professional association serving child life specialists, announced today the selection of Sharon McLeod, Senior Clinical Director of the Child Life Division of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, as the recipient of the 2009 Distinguished Service Award." Read full article
Local News Feature on Child Life at the Greenville Hospital System Children's Hospital, NBC-7 WSPA News, April 16, 2009

"Child Life Helps Distract Children In Tough Situations" - Watch the news story that features Emily Kear, a CLC member working at Greenville Hospital System Children's Hospital in South Carolina, as she helps 11-year-old Erika Gilbert to successfully cope with her hospital experience. Watch Now
Local Iowa City News Feature on Child Life at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital, ABC- 9 KCCG News KCRG.com, April 9, 2009

"Fighting Cancer By Just Being a Child" - Watch the news story that features Emily Mozena, a CLC member working at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital, as she helps four-year-old Sophie Lowe to cope with her cancer diagnosis and treatment. Watch Now
A doll named Max has made all the difference..., Montreal Gazette, Susan Schwartz, March 23, 2009

EXCERPT: "After her leukemia was diagnosed when she was 4, lots of people poked and prodded her, explained her mother, Natalie Hared, and Kylie didn't like it one bit. But with the help of child life specialists at the Montreal Children's Hospital, where she is being treated, the girl was able to find a way of coping with the illness and the procedures. Their work, as part of the pediatric health care team, is to provide tools for coping, for education and for emotional support." Read full article (third entry on page)
Mother explains how to help needy, The Billings Gazette, Linda Halstead-Acharya, March 19, 2009

EXCERPT: "Inspired by her experience, Rao helped launch Priyanka Child Life Services program at the Manipal Hospital in Bangalore, India. Child Life Services, which provides fun activities and services for children entering the hospital or undergoing treatment, was such a source of joy and comfort for Priyanka and her family at the Children's Hospital in Minneapolis that Rao was determined to "go global" with the service." Read full article

Specialists help little patients cope with fears, The Des Moines Register, Estela Villanueva-Whitman, March 18, 2009

EXCERPT: "Child Life specialists at Blank Children's Hospital work with children who are scheduled for surgery, suffering from chronic illness or coping with a relative's cancer treatment. Julie Pedigo oversees 14 staff members in the Child Life department, which served nearly 18,000 patients in 2008. The department is funded completely through donations, mainly from the Festival of Trees and Lights held every Thanksgiving." Read full article
9 Pediatric Emergency Essentials - You're there: what to expect Parenting, Melanie Howard, March 2009 issue

CLC spokesperson Ellen Hollon appears in the March 2009 issue of Parenting School Years magazine, offering tips for parents on going to the emergency room with their children. Ellen's suggestions are included in the last segment of the feature (p. 94). Read article segment
Child life specialists help kids deal with stay at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, The Birmingham News, Anna Velasco, February 23, 2009

EXCERPT: "You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than a year of conversation. Plato was not imagining child life specialists when he expressed that thought. But now, more than 2,000 years later, professionals who hold the title say the Greek philosopher perfectly captured the essence of their field." Read full article
City hospital helps kids tackle fears, The Windsor Star, Sonja Puzic, February 07, 2009

EXCERPT: "The pediatric ward playroom at Windsor Regional Hospital's Met campus is full of colourful distractions, from stuffed animals and crayons to books and computer games. It's a room where kids can let their imaginations take over and forget about needles and hospital beds for a while. But toys alone can't always make a child's fears go away. That's where Jennifer Burton Liang comes in -- a friendly face with a soothing voice and a knack for making kids smile." Read full article
Dallas/Ft. Worth Area News Feature on Child Life in the Adult ICU, The33TV.com, February 4, 2009

"Children Traumatized by Parents' Emergency" - Watch the news story that features Ruthie Davis, a child life specialist working in the ICU at Parkland Hospital, as she helps nine-year-old Carter to cope with his father's hospitalization after a serious accident. Watch Now
Child's play - Specialist makes hospitals less scary for youths, The Daily Advertiser, Judy Bastien, January 8, 2009

EXCERPT: "She roams the hallways of Women's and Children's Hospital, a bottle of bubbles suspended from a cord around her neck. She drops in on kids and plays board games with them or does arts and crafts with them. But that's only part of her job. 'The hospital is a very scary place for kids,' said child life specialist Janie Eldridge. 'They're afraid of the unknown. Our job is to help kids understand what's going on in an age-appropriate manner.'" Read full article

2008

Jon & Kate Plus Eight - “Giving Back” episode (Originally aired on TLC December 15, 2008)

Child life services at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital were highlighted in a recent episode of the popular TLC reality show Jon & Kate Plus Eight. During the last twenty minutes of the show, child life specialist and CLC member Jennifer Smith, MS, CCLS provides viewers with an excellent overview of child life services and engages the Gosselin children in medical play. While parents Jon and Kate visit in person with the sick children and their parents, the Gosselin kids are able to watch and talk to the children via closed-circuit television.
Child life named one of "11 Best-Kept-Secret Careers" by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report, Marty Nemko, December 11, 2008

Career Coach and Contributing Editor Marty Nemko identifies the child life profession as, “worth a look” in a competitive job environment. Read full article
Hospital 411 Media Campaign

Child Life Council recently teamed up with Dr. William Sears and Anesiva, Inc. to create and promote the educational program, Hospital 411: Tips Every Parent Should Know. Learn more about the campaign's success
Baltimore ABC News Affiliate Features Child Life Program at Johns Hopkins, abc2news.com, July 31, 2008

"Child Life Specialists Make Kids Feel at Home" - Watch the news story aired by a local Baltimore ABC news affiliate n conjunction with an episode of Hopkins (the summer series on ABC Thursdays). In addition to interviewing some of the doctors and nurses highlighted in the series, they included a segment on child life, which features CLC members Courtney Brennan, CCLS, Annie Woods, CCLS, and program director Patrice Brylske, MPA, CCLS. Watch Now
Philadelphia ABC News Affiliate Features Child Life Program at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, WPVI Philadelphia Action News - ABC, Lisa Thomas Laury, July 30, 2008

"Hospital program helps kids cope" - Watch the news story that features Missey Lusk, a Certified Child Life Specialist from St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, engaged in medical play with a young CF patient. The child life program at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is also mentioned.
Playing doctor: Young patients act out medical procedures on dolls to help them come to terms with their own treatments, Philadelphia Inquirer, Don Sapatkin, July 28, 2008

EXCERPT: "She was trying to figure out how to fix his 'heart' condition. She's not sure how the doctors are going to deal with hers," said Hilary Phillips, a child life specialist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, after Alyia's half hour of 'medical play.' About 35 staffers help patients conduct such play at Children's Hospital. The program is one of more than 400 similar efforts in the United States and Canada, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Read full article
Make it All Better: Parents and kids need comfort before a hospital stay, San Diego Union-Tribune, Diane Suchetka, July 1, 2008

EXCERPT: "...Start with a child life specialist, if your hospital has one. Most big-city hospitals do. And more and more suburban ones are becoming aware of how helpful they can be. Here's their advice on how to get your child back from the hospital with as few emotional scars as possible..." Read full article
WRAL News Feature on Jennifer Kreimer of WakeMed Health & Hospitals, WRAL News, Originally aired May 30, 2008

"WakeMed program helps children deal with upcoming surgery" - Watch the news story that features the work of CLC member Jennifer Kreimer, MS, CCLS and the pre-surgical preparation program at WakeMed Health & Hospitals in Raleigh, North Carolina. Watch Now
FOX 19 News Feature on Katrina Baliva of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
FOX19.com, Originally aired May 26, 2008

" 'Josh Cares' Helps Patients at Children's Hospital" - Watch the news story that features the work of Child Life Fellow Katrina Baliva, and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center “Josh Cares” program. Senior Clinical Director Sharon McLeod is also interviewed. Watch Now
KSPR News Feature on Rana Post, CCLS, of CoxHealth South, KSPR-ABC News, Natalie Swallow, Originally aired April 28, 2008

"Hospitals Make Stay Easier for Kids" - Watch the news story that features the work of CLC member Rana Post, CCLS in the child life program at CoxHealth South in Springfield, Missouri. Watch Now
Specialists ‘normalize' hospital enivornment for children
The Brownsville Herald, Melissa McEver, April 26, 2008

EXCERPT: "...The profession has become more prominent in recent years in the U.S., with more children's hospitals and outpatient clinics across the country hiring them and more universities starting degree programs. Currently, there are about 3,000 certified child-life specialists around the world, said Melissa Boyd, resource-development coordinator for the Child Life Council, which certifies these specialists..." Read full article
NBC Nightly News Feature Story on Myra Fox of Children's Hospital Boston
NBC Nightly News, Originally aired April 9, 2008

Watch the news story that honors the life and work of CLC member Myra D. Fox, Director of Child Life Services at Children's Hospital Boston. Also, be sure to watch the longer “Web only” segment, also available through the NBC Nightly News Web site.

Originally aired NBC Nightly News Segment

Extended "Web only" segment
Daughter’s memory drives health centers: Priyanka Foundation starts child life program in India
IndUS Business Journal, Paul Imbesi, February 15, 2008

EXCERPT: "MINNEAPOLIS – The Priyanka Foundation, which is dedicated to serving chronically ill children and their families in India’s hospitals, is opening the first-ever child life center in India this spring..." Read full article
WGCU Radio Feature on the Child Life Program at HealthPark Medical Center in Fort Myers, Florida
WGCU Radio, John Davis, Originally aired January 17, 2008

Listen to a radio story featuring the child life program at HealthPark Medical Center in Fort Myers, Florida. John Davis interviews CLC members Jennifer Niell, CCLS and Kelley Cowan, CCLS. Listen Now

One smile at a time: Mizzou doctoral student helps children cope with medical experiences
MizzouWire, Lisa Bruce, January 9, 2008

EXCERPT: "Sut means "split lip" in Vietnamese. For nine years, it's the name a young boy was known by in his village. In the span of an hour, that changed. After a short operation repairing his cleft lip, Sut's mother and his community began using his birth name, Thanh, which means 'blue sky.'
Toni Crowell, a doctoral student and Blumenthal Fellow for Child Life in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, knows Thanh's story firsthand. She has been on eight missions with Operation Smile, a nonprofit organization that provides surgery and care to children with cleft lips and palates..." Read full article

2007

A little girl’s dream fulfilled: Priyanka Foundation will support terminally ill children
The Hindu, Staff Reporter, October 27, 2007

EXCERPT: "BANGALORE: It is a dream of a young daughter being fulfilled by her mother. Priyanka Child Life Services, a project in memory of Priyanka Bhakta who battled leukaemia at the Children’s Hospital and Clinics in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was inaugurated at the Manipal Hospital in the city on Thursday..." Read full article

Hospital Specialists Help Children Cope When Siblings Are Sick
Health Behavior News Service, Joan Hennessy, October 12, 2007

EXCERPT: "In many children’s hospitals, there is someone like Jaime Bruce who can boil down complicated doctor-speak into simple words that children understand. Along with helping young patients, Bruce — a child life specialist in the pediatric critical care unit of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt — can provide information to help calm a sibling’s fears. Although few in the public are familiar with the efforts of child life specialists, a new study finds that their work is effective..." Read full article

Child life specialists help patients cope with illness
St. Louis Business Journal, Chris Birk, June 1, 2007

EXCERPT: "A dozen years ago, facing a bone marrow transplant, a young boy and his family found resolve and relief in David Ish. As a child life specialist at Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center, Ish helped explain the procedure to the boy and his siblings in terms they could understand and provided a needed, playful outlet during a difficult time. He even accompanied the family on off-site trips while the child recuperated, facilitating time for recreation and family togetherness under the banner of healing..." Read full article

Critical caring: Child Life program makes hospital visits easier for children
Columbia Missourian, Lauren Burke, February 4, 2007

EXCERPT: ...But thanks to a special program at University of Missouri Health Care’s Children’s Hospital called Child Life, his countless visits have been a lot easier than expected. "Hospitals are unfamiliar and uncomfortable for children to be in,” said Melissa Pulis, Child Life manager at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City and member of the Midwest Child Life Networking Group. “Making the hospital more of a place that is welcoming, fun, enjoyable and understandable really helps children cope better with their medical treatment....” Read full article

Patient Relations in Pediatric Radiology: Enhancing the Imaging Experience
RT Image, Jane Kollmer, January 8, 2007

EXCERPT: "...Because of the complex and delicate relationship between the pediatric patient and healthcare provider, some hospitals use a specially trained staff to serve as a liaison between the physicians and patients and their families. These professionals are called 'child life specialists,' and their job is to work with pediatric patients and their families throughout all steps of the imaging procedure..." Read full article