Superheroes, Athletes Rally to Keep KCH Patients' Spirits High
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 1, 2020) – The coronavirus pandemic has upended every facet of our lives. From school to jobs to worship, everyone in the Commonwealth has felt the effects of staying home for a prolonged period of time. But what if you had to isolate away from your family in an unfamiliar place, and too young to fully understand what was going on? This has been the lonely reality for the patients at Kentucky Children’s Hospital (KCH).
Since March, UK HealthCare implemented a new set of visitor restrictions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. KCH patients can have two parent or guardian visitors. For the foreseeable future, the KCH has suspended visits from special guests, volunteers, visitors, group activities in the playroom and has temporarily halted community donations of toys and books.
The Child Life staff at KCH came up with some creative solutions. For more than three months, “virtual programming” has provided patients with a digital escape. On donated iPads, patients can interact with family and friends via Zoom. They have virtually visited with UK Football players and other UK student athletes, played games with the volunteers with Jarrett’s Joy Cart superheroes and Star Wars characters and music therapists. Through Lollipop Theatre, a California-based company that brings movies and entertainment to hospitalized children, patients got to interact with actor Jack Black, the voice talents of Scoob! and the animators of the new Trolls movie.
“The virtual programming activities have helped patients feel a sense of normalcy while being in their rooms with these restrictions and the overwhelming stress of everything going on outside of the hospital, said Jenna Cook, KCH Child Life Specialist. “It really makes them feel important when special guests spend time talking with them about their interests; it ultimately helps the patient still feel like a kid and forget about their medical situation for the time being.”
“It’s important to recognize that no matter the uncertainty caused by this virus, there are people dealing with incredibly serious issues that transcend a football season, missing out on graduation or any number of obstacles that have been caused,” said UK football player Luke Fortner. “And these patients do just that. Their ability to see the light in tough times, to put a smile on anyone’s face, to put everything into perspective, is inspiring. And I hope that just maybe, I can help them out too.”
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.