[ back ] JANUARY 2005
Dialogue:
Center for families
Children's Hospital Boston's Center for Families offers programs and services dedicated to helping patient families find information and resources. Children's News sat down with a few of the center's staff to learn more about the programs and services they organize.
What do you do as patient family educator?
Cecilia: I'm the first person you see when you walk into the Center for Families. I greet patients and families, inviting them to learn about the center and the services we provide, which include parking and clothing for families in need, books and videos, Internet access, hotel accommodations, and much more.
I'm originally from Venezuela, so I can communicate with Spanish-speaking patients and families in the center, and sometimes work as a freelance interpreter for Children's.
What is a lactation specialist?
Kimberly: It's a certified educator that offers clinical, educational and support services to nursing mothers. Children's has two of us’Äîme
and Jill Fulhan.
What services do you provide?
Kimberly: The Lactation Support Program provides information about breastfeeding and its benefits. Jill and I see mothers and babies by referral. When children are unable to feed by mouth, we teach new mothers how to express milk with a breast pump, and eventually help them to breastfeed once their child is ready. We also rent and sell breast pumps and equipment through the Center for Families.
Additionally, we run the Employee Lactation Support Program, which helps employees make the transition back to work, while continuing to breastfeed after their maternity leave. We offer classes every other month and individual consults for breastfeeding difficulties, as well as telephone and e-mail support. For more information, our Web site is http://web2.tch.harvard.edu/
hr/lactationSupport.cfm.
What is the Teen Advisory Committee?
Christine: It's a collaboration between the Center for Families and Child Life Services. I work with Child Life Specialists Miranda Guardiani and Rachel Swain, as well as Jen Lackett from Adolescent Medicine, to oversee a committee of 10 teens, ages 14 to 18. The teens make suggestions that positively impact inpatient adolescents' stays in the hospital.
What projects have the committee completed?
Christine: Their first project was the Teen Cart. The group thought it would be worthwhile to create a cart of teen-oriented activities—movies, video games, board games, etc. As luck would have it, a Boy Scout named Billy Thomas contacted us, hoping to work on a project to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. He met with several groups at the hospital and designed and created two teen carts. We then partnered with Volunteer Services to find teens to bring the cart to patients on the 10th floor, where most of the adolescents are. Other projects include a Teen Cart Orientation Video, Education Fair and most recently, a holiday party for inpatient teens.
What is the Paw Prints Program?
Maura: It's a dog visitation program in which inpatients have a dog come see them in their hospital room. I work closely with Aimee Lyons, clinical coordinator for P5 and the Transport Team, and Susan Klavon of Risk Management, on the program. You can learn about us at www.childrenshospital.org/pawprints/.
We currently have three wonderful dogs—Amos, Pal and Brandy—who visit patients, and four new ones starting orientation. All of our dogs go through an extensive evaluation process (both behavioral and physical health screenings) before they can visit patients.
How is a visit arranged and what does it consist of?
Maura: The Child Life Specialists coordinate all dog visits. They obtain parental consent and a doctor's order for each patient to assure that the dog won't affect any known health problems. They also accompany the dogs and their handlers to each patient room.
The patient decides how he wants to interact with the dog. Very young patients may just look at and take a picture with him. Some patients pet the dog, others visit with him on their bed (a sheet is put on the bed first), and some patients walk the dog around the unit. The dogs can also do end-of-life visits and reintroduce children to dogs after they've experienced a bite.
What do patient relations
specialists do?
Monica: Kitty Scott and I address all the concerns of patient families who have had a negative experience here. And they sometimes contact us to share positive experiences as well.
I'm originally from Colombia, and being bilingual allows me to effectively communicate with Spanish-speaking families.
Once you receive a patient family concern, how do you address it?
Monica: After I'm made aware of a concern—let's say for example, a patient care issue—I contact the employees in question, as well as the department manager or medical chief of the division. I then meet with them and present the patient family's concerns directly to them. Once we discuss the issue—if there legitimately is one—I work with the employees to find a solution. I then respond to the patient family in writing.
Most people think this is a difficult job, but I see the feedback we get as an opportunity to review our systems and fix any problems that arise so we can improve our services. The employees at Children's are very responsive and always want to do everything they can to make our patient families' experiences the best they can be, which makes my job a little easier.
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