Thursday, September 03, 2015
Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance
Turning Pediatric Patients info Superheroes!
Up on the Maternal Child Unit of the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) – Stratford General Hospital Site, it’s not uncommon to see Nurses and Physicians attending to patients, Nutrition and Food Services staff delivering meals, grandparents cooing over new additions to the family or Superheroes roaming the halls.
That’s right, Superheroes. Thanks to the “Super Capes for Kids” Group, nine sewers from Exeter, Superhero capes are distributed to pediatric patients with chronic health challenges to give them a boost of encouragement, strength and of course, super powers!
“Our group of sewers came together in January 2015 after hearing a news story about a mom in Kingston who, after hearing that her best friend’s son had cancer, reached out to her online blog community, The Happy Soul Project, to make capes for children battling cancer,” says Stephanie Masse, RN on the Maternal Child Unit. “So far we have created 26 one-of-a-kind fabric capes and have distributed them here at the Stratford General Hospital and also at the Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario.”
The response received from these young patients and their parents has been overwhelming. “Our patients’ eyes just light up,” adds Masse. “The capes are helpful in distracting the kids from their health challenges and really highlight their ability to be brave despite the medical interventions we need to do with them.”
The group relies on financial donations to purchase the materials to complete the capes and was recently awarded a grant from the Stratford General Hospital Foundation’s Get Well fund. “Through donor generosity we empower our caregivers, helping them to continue their fight to save lives, promote health, battle disease and enhance the patient experience,” says Andrea Page, Executive Director, Stratford General Hospital Foundation. “Sometimes it’s the little extras that make all the difference. We salute the sewers and staff whose efforts impact our Hospital’s youngest patients.”
“This initiative demonstrates not only the caring nature of the Maternal Child staff but also their commitment to better understand and meet the psychological needs of this pediatric population,” says Donnalene Tuer Hodes, Chief Nursing Executive / Program Director Surgical Services & Maternal Child. “The Superhero cape is a small token that has potential to have a huge impact on the growth and development of a child with a chronic illness.”
Media Contact:
Donnalene Tuer Hodes
Chief Nursing Executive/Program Director Surgical Services & Maternal Child
519-272-8210 ext 2505
donnalene.tuerhodes@hpha.ca
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