2019 Issue 1
The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department
Holiday Cheer at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital Over the course of the fall and into the winter, the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department helped patients and families celebrate the holidays in style. Featuring celebrations for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s, patients and families were invited to join our parties and other festivities. Our department also featured special programming on KidZone TV to help celebrate the many traditions that accompany holidays throughout the year. Special guests came to carol on the units, create their own songs about their traditions and bring cheer to patients and families spending holidays in the hospital. Patients and families were also able to host their own holiday-themed shows. Featured below is just some of the fun captured by photos:
Facility Dogs Provide Staff Support Our facility dogs, Amos and Professor, have been making children and families smile in the pediatric hospital since spring 2017. In addition to this important work, Amos and Professor provide staff support hours in the PICU and on P5 through “Professor’s Office Hours” and “Amos’ Work Paws”. These special programs are bi-weekly times dedicated for staff to spend time with our facility dogs and take time for self-care. Nurses, physicians, residents, respiratory therapists, social workers and pharmacists have attended these sessions to cuddle, play fetch and unwind during their busy and often stressful days. Sandi Glacobello, RN, reflected, “Professor makes my day every time I see him, even when I am having a bad day.” Melanie Eisman, social worker, continued on page 2
VISIT mountsinai.org/childlife
Instagram @mschildlife
Facebook mountsinai.childlife LB 2019
NICU Welcome Video Series The Child Life Department, with funding assistance from the Mount Sinai Children’s Center Foundation, has completed three informational videos intended to help families discover more about different areas and programming within Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital. These first three videos, which will be part of a larger group of ten videos, focuses on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The pilot video aims to minimize some of the anxiety and uncertainty about having a baby in the NICU and the process of taking the baby home. The video gives families a welcoming look inside the NICU environment and medical equipment. The second video focuses on the steps to getting a NICU baby ready for discharge. The objective is to help families know what to expect in the days leading up to discharge. Finally, the third video focuses on breastfeeding and the NICU’s donor milk program. The video aims to educate families and support families surrounding the challenges of providing nutrition for their new baby. All three videos were filmed and edited by Marc Smith. The NICU welcome video can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/MSH_NICU_WELCOME
Facility Dogs Provide Staff Support
continued from page 1
shared that, “Amos not only brightens the days of patients and families in the hospital, but the staff as well. Amos helps me process my feelings and reconnect with the environment during and after challenging situations. His loving nature makes us smile after tough days and we could not imagine P5 without him!” Amos and Professor are also available on a referral basis for staff debriefings following particularly difficult or end-of-life cases. Our Paws and Play team looks forward to many more staff support opportunities in the future.
Sing for Hope Donates Piano Visitors, staff and patients are now often greeted by something new and wonderful in the first floor lobby of the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital - live music! Sing For Hope, in collaboration with the cast and producer of Dear Evan Hansen, has generously donated a piano to the children’s hospital, and music is now provided almost daily in the intimate lobby of the Kravis building. We are grateful to them for giving us the means to enhance our environment, and the experience of our patients and guests, through music. Keep an eye on our future newsletters where we will introduce you to some of our pianists- many of whom are students and clinicians here at Mount Sinai!
VISIT mountsinai.org/childlife
Instagram @mschildlife
Facebook mountsinai.childlife
New York Times Spotlight on KidZone TV and the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department was featured on June 29, 2018, in a front page article of the Metropolitan section of the New York Times. Reporter Andy Newman embedded himself in the Zone for several days last spring in order to learn more about the work done within the department and was able to highlight patients and specialists in a variety of ways. The write-up spotlighted daily interactions between department staff and patients that aim to ease the difficulty of hospitalization for pediatric patients. Gabriela Ortiz, Music Therapist, and Nicole Wood, KidZone TV Producer, teamed up with a patient to create her own song that was featured in the article as well. Photos included in the story feature patients and families in their rooms, the KidZone TV studio, the Zone, and the Lion’s Den. The in-depth piece introduced the important mission of our department to readers worldwide.
Staff Additions and Accomplishments Please join us in welcoming wonderful new staff members!
Left to right: Allie Martin, Arielle Silverman, Tang Wu, Claire Pettengill, Abbey Meeks, Lauren Amigo, Lauren Keyes, Gretchen Greenlee
Allie Martin is our Child Life Specialist providing coverage to the inpatient units, as well as some services in the outpatient endocrine clinic. She is originally from the Bay Area in Northern California and moved to NYC in June. In her free time, she likes to try new restaurants, explore the city and spend time with friends. Arielle Silverman is our Child Life Specialist in our Day of Ambulatory Surgery waiting room and our Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, doing yoga, exploring the city and traveling to new places. Tang Wu is the our Child Life Assistant! She provides activities and interventions to help children and families cope while in the hospital and runs evening Zone programming. She enjoys doing yoga, camping and rock climbing. continued on page 4
VISIT mountsinai.org/childlife
Instagram @mschildlife
Facebook mountsinai.childlife
Staff Additions and Accomplishments
continued from page 3
Claire Pettengill is our newest Child Life Specialist in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She is a dually boardcertified Child Life Specialist and Music Therapist. When not providing Child Life services in the NICU, you can find Claire jamming on her harp. Abbey Meeks is our new weekend Child Life Assistant. She provides play, crafts and other activities in the Zone. Outside of work, Abbey enjoys baking, working on embroidery projects and spending time outside in the park. Lauren Amigo is our Art Therapy Fellow working Saturdays and Sundays bringing Art Therapy programming to patients and families on our inpatient units. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys painting, and drawing. Lauren Keyes is one of our Child Life Specialists down in the Pediatric Emergency Department. She is currently also a graduate student at Columbia University focusing on Developmental Disabilities. In her free time, she likes to work out, cook new meals and explore the city. Gretchen Greenlee is our new Child Life Specialist in the IBD clinic as well as providing coverage to our inpatient units. She recently completed her internship here at Mount Sinai. When she is not working, she enjoys cooking, baking, yoga, and traveling. Accomplishments: Diane Rode, Director, presented a full day intensive in Clinical Supervision and Reflective Practice at the annual Association of Child Life Professionals Conference in Washington, DC. Allie Martin, CCLS, completed her Master’s Degree! Congratulations, Allie. Ali Spike, CCLS, presented “The Art of Saying No: Managing Expectations” and “Using AAT & Facility Dogs to Provide Staff Support” at the 2nd annual Facility Dog Summit in Cincinnati, OH. Ali Spike, CCLS, and Madison Elkow, CCLS, presented “Utilizing Animal Assisted Therapy and Facility Dogs to Provide Staff Support and Self-Care” at the Child Life of Greater New York annual conference. Gabriela Asch-Ortiz, MS, LCAT, MT-BC, presented at a community lecture series at the School of Visual Arts on the topic, "Therapy of the Oppressed: Clinical Care in the Age of Injustice" along with other members of Creative Art Therapists of Color, LLC. Nicole Wood, CCLS, and Gabriela Asch-Ortiz, MS, LCAT, MT-BC, were accepted to present at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference in Reston, VA. Their presentation, "Be Yourself: A Case Study Exploring Music Therapy, Child Life Services and Technology," will cover aspects related to technology, cultural reflexivity, composition and therapeutic relationships.
VISIT mountsinai.org/childlife
Instagram @mschildlife
Facebook mountsinai.childlife LB 2019