Child Life Discover Newsletter 2019 Issue #3

The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department

2019 Issue 3

SURGE Poetry Slam!

In June 2019, The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department, in conjunction with Teachers & Writers, published the spring issue of SURGE Magazine. This bi-annual publication features original creative writing, artwork, and music (a new feature this year!) from teens at the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital and from teens in our community. We are proud to have collaborated this year with Teachers & Writers, a New York City program offering innovative writing programs to promote the literary arts. Through this partnership, we are able to offer creative writing experiences to patients and families within the inpatient pediatric departments. Sarah Dohrmann, our Creative Writing Specialist from Teachers & Writers, worked closely with teen patients in the pediatric inpatient departments providing creative writing sessions at the bedside and encouraging participation and publication in SURGE. Christina Auriemma, Creative Arts Therapy Coordinator, and the creative arts therapy team collected artwork and music submissions for the publication, offering teen patients the opportunity to share their creative expressions with the community. On June 27, Sarah and Christina hosted the annual Poetry Slam in the KZTV studio as a celebration highlighting our talented teen artists and writers published in SURGE magazine. Patients and teen contributors performed their original writings for family, friends, and the Mount Sinai community as the event was live streamed on Instagram and broadcasted on KidZone TV. Special thanks to all our teen contributors for sharing their work with our community! To view the most recent issue of SURGE please visit www.mountsinai.org/childlife.

Advisory Councils Family and Youth Advisory Councils at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital, in conjunction with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Family Advisory Council, celebrated a year filled with many accomplishments and accolades. These dedicated groups of patient and family advisors work with hospital staff and leadership on a variety of hospital projects and initiatives to improve the patient and family experience. Facilitated by senior members of the Child life and Creative Arts Therapy Department in partnership with social work and a senior parent advisor, the groups have actively engaged in efforts toward advancing patient and family centered care, quality and safety work, caregiver wellness, and family education. In addition to their consistent attendance at monthly council meetings, these advisors sit on interdisciplinary hospital work groups, provide activities to support hospitalized families, and lend an essential voice to quality improvement initiatives. In this year alone, council members reviewed and edited scripts for a series of NICU caregiver continued on page 2

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Mighty Milers Season a Success!

Every fall and spring, Sinai Milers invites children ages 7-12 to have fun with running and learning more about healthy lifestyles. In conjunction with the Parenting Center and Drs. Yaker and Benkov, the group meets weekly on Wednesdays in beautiful Central Park for one hour. This past spring, we had between 25 and 30 runners each week. As a group, sessions begin with stretching, fun games, and educational running activities such as animal runs and relays! Sinai Milers is lucky to have a surplus of multidisciplinary volunteers throughout the season that supervise and cheer on our runners each week. Child Life Specialist, Abby Patch and Social Worker, Danielle Weiss have been integral members of the team as they lead warm-up and structured runs. Our runners especially love when our facility dog, Professor, joins in our activities. Additionally, we encourage our runners to set goals and use their new skills to run outside of each session. Everyone can submit photos of their extracurricular runs to have a chance at being the Sinai Miler of the Week with a special prize! We are so excited for the upcoming fall season and look forward to seeing everyone out in the park!

Mighty Milers with a special guest!

KidZone TV Hosts National Intensive In June, KidZone TV put on a two-day intensive workshop to help children’s hospitals across the country build or enhance their CCTV programming. This year, we hosted 13 attendees that came from nine different hospitals spanning as far as California. The workshop provides a hands-on training opportunity with the latest video and audio technology used in broadcast. Along with learning technical aspects of running an in-hospital studio, the intensive gives an in-depth look at the therapeutic value and practices of video. The intensive offers a look into the dynamic patient work, which can be created in a studio or at bedside. The workshop culminated in a 30-minute live show, involving the work each of the attendees created with the tools and practice learned through the intensive.

Advisory Councils

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videos, partnered with the health system’s Department of Strategic Operations and Implementation to enhance the Pediatric ED admission experience, completed the hospital wide “Error Prevention Techniques” training, and worked with nursing to create an education tool for patients and families about the safe care of central lines. In addition, the NICU Family Advisory Council hosted 12 coffee nights and 4 holiday celebrations for NICU caregivers. The next council term begins in September and recruitment is currently underway for additional members who are interested in using their healthcare experiences and perspectives to inform positive change and growth. For more information about Council participation, please go to: https://www.mountsinai.org/locations/kravis-childrens/services/child-family-support/family-advisory-council continued on page 3

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Staff Accomplishments Ali Spike, Child Life Specialist and Jaclyn Damiano, Creative Arts Therapist, were accepted to present at the facility dog summit in Atlanta, GA this September. Their presentation is entitled “Fostering Staff Wellness in the Workplace.”

Jaclyn Damiano, Creative Arts Therapist presented at Social Work Grand Rounds. The Presentation is entitled “Medical Art Therapy Throughout the Lifespan.”

Archimedes Bibano, Meditation Specialist, recently completed his training at the Awareness Training Institute at UC Berkley and graduated as a Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher.

Jennifer Reeves, Child Life Specialist, graduated from Bank Street College in May with her Master’s Degree in Child Life!

Congratulations Jennifer!

Katherine Parker, Creative Arts Therapist, presented on a panel at the American Psychological Association Convention.

The presentation was entitled “Neuroscience of Music Cognition and Music Therapy – Advances in Mind Body Medicine”.

Diane Rode, Director of the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department, provided a 2-day intensive to Colorado Children’s Hospital staff on Group Supervision and Reflective Practice.

Todd O’Connor, Music Therapist, presented at Rutgers University Hospital’s Grand Rounds in July. His presentation was entitled “Medical Music Therapy Methods and Clinical Applications”.

Follow Us and See the Exciting Things Happening Every Day!

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Patient Art Highlight

See this and more patient art, stories and poems in our SURGE publication online: http://bit.ly/SURGE_spring2019