Download Child Health Advisory Committee (CHAC) 2014 Multi

Child Health Advisory Committee (CHAC)
2014 Multi-Year Grant Recipients $407,768.00
Title: CHTV (Children’s Hospital Television Station, Channel 7)
Principal Applicant: Renee Ethans – Manager Child Life Department
Lay Summary: CHTV is a closed-circuit television station that provides an alternative, noncommercial television programming for patients in the Children’s Hospital. It is part of Child Life, a
psychosocial service striving to alleviate the stress and anxiety of hospitalized children and enhance
their normal development. Studies at Children’s Hospital in 1980 showed that hospitalized childrens’
viewing was excessive and indiscriminate. CHTV was established to mitigate this problem, and a
follow-up study showed that patients preferred programming suitable to their age. It was the first of its
kind in Canada, and second in North America.
CHTV broadcasts every day to all inpatient rooms, clinics and waiting areas. It offers a wide variety of
programming which spans all ages and target audiences including First Nations, Inuit and adolescent
populations. One extremely therapeutic tool is a one hour, week-daily, personal, interactive live show
titled “The Good Day Show”. The CHTV child life specialists meet with patients on all the units daily
and children of all ages are involved in the live show, either in person, by phone or by sending
messages and artwork. There is a plethora of positive feedback from patients, families and staff, and
poignant anecdotes that illustrate the magical therapeutic quality of CHTV.
Title: Music Therapy Program
Principal Applicant: Renee Ethans – Manager Child Life Department
Lay Summary: The Music Therapy Program provides music as a tool to promote relaxation and
distraction and to provide age appropriate stimulation. It is part of Child Life, a psychosocial service
striving to alleviate the stress and anxiety of hospitalized children and enhance their normal
development. Studies have shown that music is effective in reducing anxiety, easing adjustment to
the hospital setting, reducing the perception of pain, encouraging activity, providing avenues of coping
and increasing socialization and communication. The program was designed to address the needs of
the hospitalized pediatric population and was one of the first of its kind in Canada.
The program provides services to inpatients and outpatients in eleven pediatric areas on a weekly
basis and several others on a consult basis. The music therapist provides specialized music therapy
services that balance the needs of each patient and the various units. Patients visited include children
who have special needs, are in isolation, are experiencing pain, have few visitors, or have a preestablished rapport with the music therapist from previous hospitalizations. The program has
established and fulfilled a special role within Children’s Hospital over the span of 15 years, contributing
invaluable services to pediatric healthcare.
Title: Children’s Hospital Family Libraries (Family Information Library and Book Corner
Library)
Principal Applicant: Renee Ethans – Manager Child Life Department
Lay Summary: The Children’s Hospital Libraries were established in 1988 to support the hospital
mandate of family-centered care. The Family Information Library (FIL) accomplishes this by helping
families to become better-informed members of the health care team which helps them to participate
more fully in the health care of their children. FIL provides books, pamphlets and DVDs with child
health information that is up-to-date, accurate and suitable for the layperson. It also has a fax
machine, photocopier, scanner, printer and two computers with Internet access for families to use and
produces a quarterly newsletter, Library Link. FIL supports Children’s Hospital staff by acting as the
distribution centre for patient education materials, and by providing literature searches and document
delivery.
The Book Corner (BC) provides patients with the normalizing option of choosing age appropriate
reading material and DVDs, and providing reading-related activities for recreation, stimulation, humour
and diversion during the stressful time of hospitalization. Library staff provide one-on-one reading,
group storytimes, and have book and DVD carts to bring resources to patients on the units. The Book
Corner produces a newsletter: Trunksline, featuring mascot Trunks the Elephant, which is full of
games, trivia and colouring pages.
Title: Child Life Humour Program
Principal Applicant: Renee Ethans – Manager Child Life Department
Lay Summary: The Child Life Clown/Humour Program is an innovative and dynamic clown program
for patients at Children’s Hospital, which is therapeutic, healing and fun! It is part of Child Life, a
psychosocial service striving to alleviate the stress and anxiety of hospitalized children and enhance
their normal development. The positive impact of humour and play on healing and wellbeing has been
long recognized and documented. Through the therapeutic use of clown play, which includes physical
comedy, magic, mime, music, bubbles, and face painting, the Therapeutic Clown allows the child to
experience a sense of mastery and control while in hospital.
The Clown/Humour program has been operating since 1986 and was the first of its kind for pediatric
health care in Canada and worldwide. Therapeutic clowning interventions are offered to
patients/families on all inpatient wards, pediatric oncology clinic, general clinics, pediatric HemoDialysis Unit, and in CHTV and Playroom. There is also a positive impact on families and staff. Using
two different clown personae, the program successfully serves a range of patients from age two years
to teens. There is a plethora of positive feedback from patients, families and staff, and poignant
anecdotes that illustrate the magical therapeutic quality of the Humour Program.