At Sanford Children’s in Bemidji, a small but mighty team cares for more than 12,000 kids of all ages each year. They ensure that rural families have access to expert, compassionate care for children close to home. Soon, with the support of local donors to Sanford Health Foundation, the team will grow to include a new service: the region’s first child life program.
Being in the hospital or undergoing a medical procedure can be scary for kids and overwhelming for families. Child life specialists help make the health care journey easier by offering emotional support, reducing stress, improving outcomes and helping kids get better, faster. Thanks to the generosity of local donors, the child life program will be offered at no cost to patients at Sanford Children’s in Bemidji.
Care That’s More Than Medicine
But child life specialists will do more than support kids. They will serve as an essential part of the pediatric care team at Bemidji, offering a more holistic approach to patient care.
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We have a very compassionate and innovative team here who sees a wide variety of patients. For clinicians who work in a rural setting such as ours, we rely on each other a lot. Having this service elevates the care that we can provide.
pediatric hospitalist at Sanford Children’s in Bemidji
When child life specialists work with patients, the entire care experience shifts.
“Child life specialists can walk into a room, and within five minutes, the energy in that room is different. Parents feel less alone. Kids are less anxious for what’s to come,” said Dr. Akandé.
Child life specialists help kids and families understand illnesses, conditions and procedures, empowering them in their medical journey. They provide music and art therapy, education, therapeutic play, preparation and coping, emotional guidance and more. Their involvement can often reduce the need for sedation and decrease the time kids spend in the hospital.
Collaboration with child life also helps pediatric teams address the unique challenges of caring for kids.
“Caring for a child is different in that you have to win the confidence of not just the child, but the parents,” said Dr. Akandé. “Child life specialists can recognize stresses or emotional needs in family members and provide information that can help alleviate some of that.”
Child life supports care for children from birth to age 18, adjusting their approach for each individual.
“When you’re caring for children, there are so many different developmental stages along the way,” said Anna Wakefield, nursing inpatient manager for Sanford Health in Bemidji. “Child life comes in and they’re able to help us work with these families, work with the patients and really meet each family and child where they’re at.
“It really takes a load off of direct patient care staff, the physicians and nurses, even lab, because they’re able to come in ahead of time and help prepare the child for what they’re about to experience,” said Anna.
Healing Close to Home
At Sanford Children’s in Bemidji, child life specialists will work in collaboration with care teams between the emergency department, surgical services, clinic services, the Sanford Joe Lueken Cancer Center and inpatient units. Child life specialists will even offer bereavement support for families grieving the loss of a child.
“This is a rural community hospital, and we don’t have access to large budgets like urban centers do,” said Dr. Akandé. “We rely on our community’s generosity for some of the services, so there’s a real impact that we feel on a day-to-day basis. That impact could be a child that is able to take a deep breath and smile before a procedure. It could be a parent that feels better supported or empowered to handle a new diagnosis for their child.”
With the help of child life, the Bemidji Children’s team can give kids positive medical experiences that make a lifelong difference.
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We talk about children’s work as play. How do you teach a child in a playful way what’s about to happen to them so that they are a participant in their care. Child life is a great way of helping children have that positive encounter so that they’re advocating for themselves. It’s not just a gift for the moment, it’s a gift for the future.
nursing inpatient manager for Sanford Health in Bemidji
Most importantly, the child life program will bring smiles to kids, families and care teams.
“I think child life just brings joy,” said Anna. “That’s what I think about when I think of child life.”
Give for Good. Give for Child Life.
100% of your gift through the Sanford Health Foundation will help us launch the child life program in Bemidji at no cost to families. Please join us today and make a difference for local kids and families when it matters most.