PHILANTHROPY IN ACTION
Child Life program
expanded with
gift from Moody
Foundation
It is a difficult experience for anyone to see a
loved one suffering a trauma or battling a grave
illness. For children, the uncertainty and fear they
experience can be terrifying.
aylor Scott & White Health
believes that treating the patient
means treating the whole family.
For children who are sick or injured, the
Child Life team at Baylor Scott & White
McLane Children’s Medical Center helps
the patient as well as his or her parents
and siblings deal with the stress and
anxiety that often accompany health
care experiences. Through play activities
and other strategies, the Child Life team
provides emotional support and helps
normalize the hospital experience.
It can be equally devastating for a
child who is watching a parent face lifealtering
or life-ending illnesses or trauma.
Thanks to a generous grant from the
Moody Foundation, children whose lives
have been impacted by the health or
injury of a loved one will also receive this
support through the Palliative Care Child
Life program.
“We have the unique opportunity to
take the long view in deciding how our
foundation can best invest in meaningful
projects that positively impact the lives
of Texans for years or decades,” says
Frances Moody-Dahlberg, executive
director and chairman of the Moody
Foundation. “Bringing comfort to our
children in their time of uncertainty
allows us to be of service in a way that
Cinda McDonald, child life specialist, works with 10-year-old Angel following his mother’s breast cancer diagnosis.
is both gratifying and humbling. We
are pleased to come together with
Baylor Scott & White Health on this lifechanging
initiative.”
Initially developed at Baylor University
Medical Center in Dallas in 2011, the
Palliative Care Child Life program has
since grown to serve additional Baylor
Scott & White hospitals. With the help of
this grant, the program will be established
or expanded in locations in North Texas,
including in Fort Worth, Irving, and
Grapevine; and in Central Texas, including
Waco and Temple. Certified child life
specialists help families in crisis across
multiple hospital units including trauma,
emergency, intensive care, oncology,
cardiac care, transplant, women’s and
children’s services, and rehabilitation.
Acting as advocates, educators,
liaisons, and encouragers, child life
specialists support children and families
with their knowledge and experience
using age-appropriate therapeutic
interventions. In doing so, they help
reduce the stress and anxiety that
many children can experience in acute
healthcare situations.
“When there is a serious life-limiting
illness or injury, the children are often the
ones who need the most information
and emotional support,” says Cinda
McDonald, manager of Palliative Care
Child Life Services. “We work with adults
to educate and empower them in
knowing how to support their children
through the health crisis, giving adults
the confidence to discuss this difficult
information with their kids.”
“For many children, a lack of
understanding can sometimes lead to
fears or misperceptions. For example, that
they ‘caused’ a serious illness because
they didn’t clean their room as told or they
were at risk for ‘catching’ their mother’s
breast cancer if they gave her a hug.
It’s both heartbreaking and real,” Ms.
McDonald says.
“Our goal is to work with children and
their families, providing support by being
that unbiased person outside of their
family; that ‘safe space’ where children
can have open and honest conversations
on topics that parents have given us
permission to talk about. Helping children
cope with real-life circumstances is
the goal of providing child life services
and support in this innovative way,” Ms.
McDonald explains.
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THE COMPASS / BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE CENTRAL TEXAS FOUNDATION NEWS / SUMMER 2020