Bravery Hearts Bravery Beads
This program begins upon diagnosis for patients with cancer and cardiac diagnosis that begins with a blank necklace and their name. After each event, experience or treatment the patient receives a specific bead to demonstrate each milestone. The necklaces represent and honor the experience of their cancer or cardiac treatments, enabling the children to tell their unique story in a tangible, visual way.
Information about this program and how you can support it can be found here.
Education/Tutoring
Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center provides daily tutoring for patients that meet specific criteria through an organization called Education Inc. Information about this program can be found at www.educationinc.us.
Family Resource Center
This is an area provided for patients and families to utilize to keep in communication with friends and family, research medical information or even to provide distraction/recreation from the hospital environment. This area is open Monday through Sunday from 9 AM to 9 PM.
Pediatric Massage and Instruction
Our pediatric massage therapist teaches nurturing touch and developmentally appropriate massage techniques to parents and caregivers of our hospitalized children. By learning to massage their own children, parents can take an active role to help minimize the anxiety and stress of hospitalization for both their children and themselves. Parent/child massage also enhances bonding and attachment, helps to regulate the sleep/wake cycle and digestion and helps in pain management. Our certified massage therapist provides massage for those children without families at the bedside to foster developmentally appropriate interaction and promote the child’s physical, emotional and social well-being through nurturing therapeutic touch.
Pet Therapy
Twice a week patients are able to interact with specially trained animals that provide comfort and have been proven to lessen anxiety at the bedside.
Portable Playhouse, Inc.
The organizations mission is to research, design and implement a program to create a happy, healthy environment for children through artistic expression. Volunteers through this program provide artistic activities for patients of all ages at the bedside. Information for this program can be found at www.theportableplayhouse.org.
Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation
This is a non-profit organization that provides our hospital with a clown named Hug-a-me once a week to perform tricks and enhance smiles in out patients. They also sponsor monthly parties for out inpatient units (mardis gras, luau, jungle party, etc.) that allow a sense on normalcy and social interaction for patients and families. This organization also funds one Child Life Specialist salary annually in our pediatric inpatient unit. www.starlight.org
Swank TV
Swank is a movie channel that provides a variety of movies in English and Spanish offered to patients and families for no additional cost. The movies are updated with new releases every few months.
Therapeutic Playroom
This is an area dedicated to pediatric patients that provides recreational play which is commonly used for personal enjoyment, to combat boredom, and to facilitate normalization. Developmentally supportive play supports all aspects of the child’s development and is universal. Therapeutic play facilitates expression, coping, and mastery of the healthcare experience and helps to provide a sense of achievement within the healthcare setting. Medical interventions and invasive interactions with patients and families are not to be performed in the playroom due to it representing a “safe zone.”
Teen Lounge
Patients over the age of thirteen are able to utilize our teen lounge which offers a Wednesday night teen night, flat screen television, computers, and state-of-the-art video game systems to provide distraction from hospitalization. It also allows for patients of the same age facing the same difficulties to interact and not feel completely alone.
Volunteer Program
Child Life Volunteers help Child Life staff with age-appropriate activities for patients in the playroom and at the bedside. Child Life volunteers also help maintain a clean and safe environment by sterilizing toys as well as the playroom area. If you would like more information on volunteer opportunities within the Child Life department please contact Kim Cook of volunteer services at (973) 926-7194.
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