VCU news

By Shira Pollard
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU

Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR) opened a new 4,000-square-foot Children’s Garden for inpatient pediatric patients on the MCV Campus on Monday.

The rooftop space is open to patients, siblings and families admitted to CHoR’s acute care pediatric units. Approximately 5,300 children are admitted to these units each year, and the Children’s Garden is close enough to the inpatient rooms that children connected to multiple pieces of medical equipment, such as IVs and monitoring devices, can enjoy the fresh air. The space is designed to accommodate the special needs of all children, including those in wheelchairs and beds.

“Playing outside is a huge part of childhood and the improved Children’s Garden allows us to offer some normalcy to children while they are receiving care or visiting a sibling in the hospital,” said Heather Kinney, certified child life specialist at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. “The garden is a relaxing and healing place for patients, parents, family and friends to escape for some fresh air.”

Beth Saladino, a former patient’s mother, was excited to learn about the recent Children’s Garden renovations. She and her daughter Lucy enjoyed many hours creating memories on the play deck during numerous hospital stays.

“Hospitalizations for kids with cystic fibrosis can become lengthy and as the disease progresses, more frequent,” said Saladino. “The play deck offered Lucy and our family a different perspective, a different environment. If the sun was out and the temperatures agreeable, we would gather up her IV pole and go and sometimes simply sit and soak up the vitamin D. We also watched Fourth of July fireworks from the play deck.”

The 48th Annual Children’s Hospital Foundation Ball, organized by the Foundation’s Junior Board and held in November 2011, raised $217,000 to help renovate the Children’s Garden and provide a higher level of care for families like the Saladinos.

“I am so pleased to see the result of the Junior Board’s hard work here in the completed Children’s Garden,” said Heather Daniel, past president, Junior Board of Children’s Hospital Foundation. “It takes all of our fifty volunteer board members working year round to make the Ball a success, and this beautiful space is a great reminder of what we can accomplish together for children in Central Virginia.”

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