This month, we’re thrilled to highlight Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for our 25 Years of Project Sunshine blog series. For two decades, we have cherished this collaboration that has enabled us to bring programs and make an impact for their patients. Read our interview with the patient experience team at Children's on their experience with our programs for their patients.
- How has collaborating with us for the past 20 years positively impacted the care of pediatric patients in your facility?
Through the various programs provided by Project Sunshine, our patients and families have been inspired to channel their creativity and fun no matter their circumstance. Whether this is through the activity kits, volunteers, or TelePlay, Project Sunshine has touched all areas of our hospital throughout the years. - What are specific examples or stories that illustrate the impact of our programs on the patients?
The Project Sunshine activity kits are an incredible resource that can be used as a distraction and a form of normative play for children who just want to color or have a creative outlet during long wait times or extended visits. During respiratory season surges in the Emergency Department, staff provide the kits to improve the overall patient and family experience despite long waits. One encounter that stands out is a mom sharing her relief when her child told her, “I can’t wait to come back to visit the Doctor’s House!”
During a Project Sunshine TelePlay session through Seacrest Studios, we were playing Marvel trivia with some long-term teenage patients. One teenager was located at our Egleston hospital and the other at our Scottish Rite location. Both went to high school together and knew one another. Though they couldn’t be together physically, they both tuned in from their own hospital rooms and played trivia while also talking to each other. This was such a meaningful moment that impacted both patients by providing them entertainment and connection. - How do our different programs touch multiple areas or populations of the Children's enterprise?
TelePlay is unique because every time we host the program through Seacrest Studios, the program can reach all three of our hospitals at once – including our inpatient and outpatient populations. This totals to over 600 patient rooms! The activity kits are also distributed to our Emergency Department and our outpatient clinic waiting areas such as radiology labs, and transplant clinics. For inpatients, these kits are available in our unit activity rooms. Lastly, we have Here to Play volunteers from local colleges who bring kits to patients that cannot leave their rooms or invite patients to spend some time outside of their rooms and join them in the activity rooms.
- In what other creative ways have you seen this collaboration thrive?
In July, five Project Sunshine Here to Play volunteers from the Atlanta & Georgia Tech Chapters supported a day of programming at Camp Twin Lakes, a sleepaway camp where children diagnosed with sickle cell disease, kidney disease, and transplant recipients were present. Each camp group created tissue paper canvas art and participated in a model magic building competition. The Georgia Tech Chapter Leader shared, 'It went amazing! We had about 70 kids in total who made crafts and engaged with us. They were all very excited to try something new and seemed to enjoy themselves as well!'
We also had the Georgia Tech Chapter provide support to the Kids at Heart program which allows both inpatient and outpatient heart families connect with each other to share experiences. Children’s staff shares research and resources to families, however the program was truly created to help families connect with one another through dinner events and special activities. The volunteers set up an activity table with both a caregiver and Here to Play materials for the children. There were fabric totes and pencil cases to color in, model magic, and velvet stickers to compliment the dinner.
It was a packed night. Thanks to volunteers Ruhi and her team for leading the activities and engaging with our patient families. We would love to have Project Sunshine again for this program!”
-Alison Mueller, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Senior Program Coordinator
Twenty years of working together with the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta has been extraordinary. We are deeply thankful for the opportunity to offer our programs to their patients, providing them with a sense of normalcy and relief, while also extending support to the dedicated staff. We’re eager to continuing our joint efforts far into the future, ensuring to bring more healing play to their children and families.
