Child Life Specialist Becky Combs uses medical play to relax a patient and prepare him for a procedure.
Kelly Harnley recalls the support her family received from Child Life Specialists when her son, Mason, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 7.
“During Mason’s hospitalization, my husband Graham and I needed to go to training sessions several times, and the Child Life support staff would come up to the room and play games with Mason,” Harnley said. Their companionship comforted Mason and helped him feel he was not alone.
“It really helped my anxiety level,” she said. “I feel grateful to be part of a community here in Lancaster that supports such an invaluable program.”
The Child Life program, which was introduced to pediatric inpatients in late 2018, is part of Lancaster General Health’s broader commitment to advancing pediatric care and one of the many features of its new Seraph-McSparren Pediatric Inpatient Center, which opened last fall.
Child Life Specialists are experts in the developmental needs of kids of all ages. They are trained to help children and teens cope with the stress of being in a health-care setting. This can help reduce their anxiety during procedures and make it easier to get them the care they need.
As a nonbillable medical service, Child Life is made possible through philanthropic support, such as through the LG Health Foundation’s 18th Annual Jay R. Bucher Memorial United Fore Golf Tournament. Despite being canceled this year due to COVID-19, the event was successful in its efforts to raise money for the program. This year’s sponsors include title sponsor Benchmark Construction; Murray, Trustmark, StoudtAdvisors; and Fulton Financial Corporation, among others.
“I have an 8-year-old and a 10-year old, and knowing if anything ever happened to them, that there was that level of care to support their anxiety and their comfort … and make their experience through the process better, is very, very powerful,” said Robert A. Brandt, III, president of Benchmark Construction.
In a special video produced by LG Health Foundation, Jan L. Bergen, president and chief executive officer of LG Health, thanked the sponsors for “their support, year after year after year. It is critical to our organization and we really appreciate them.”