March is Child Life Month
by Raiili Pellizzari
Our Hospital currently has two Child Life Specialists — Mandi Merkley and Brittany Oliver (pictured) — who work with children and families Monday to Friday throughout the organization.March is Child Life Month, a time to recognize and celebrate important members of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre team — Child Life Specialists.
When confronted with difficult or unexpected experiences, such as chronic illness or hospitalization, these stressful and potentially traumatic events may overwhelm a child’s natural ability to cope and heal. Child Life Specialists are trained professionals with expertise in helping children and their families overcome life’s most challenging events. Child Life Specialists help support children and families by forming a positive therapeutic relationship and providing developmentally appropriate interventions that promote coping and help to reduce fear and anxiety in the hospital.
Our Hospital currently has two Child Life Specialists — Mandi Merkley and Brittany Oliver (pictured) — who work with children and families Monday to Friday throughout the organization. The areas that these services are widely available are the Paediatric Inpatient Unit, the Paediatric Outpatient Clinic, Maternal Newborn, NICU, ICU, the Emergency Department, Diagnostic Imaging and the Operating Room.
