YOUNG SUPERHEROES!
YRMC kicks off ‘Super Kid’ program to help boost spirits of patients
Children braving it in the Emergency Room Friday at Yuma Regional Medical Center got a chance to adorn themselves in capes and engage in a crafty kit on National Superhero Day.
YRMC launched its “Super Kid” initiative where young patients receiving emergency care will be given special kits that contain a bright-blue cape, stickers, crayons and coloring pages.
“We are really excited because it was impeccable timing for our new campaign for our Super Kid kit,” said Breanna Caraway, RN and director of the YRMC Emergency Department. “For the children that come into the hospital, we will be able to provide them with a Super Kid kit to let them know that they are our superhero and we are very excited to provide excellent care for them.”
Caraway explained that the kits are intended to make children receiving care in the Emergency Department “feel a little bit more safe, warm and welcomed.”
“I think it’s a great way of us letting them know how brave
they are,” Caraway said. “Obviously, it’s not a fun thing to do to have to come to the Emergency Department. If they do come we want to be able to provide them with a super hero kit to let them know that they are brave and we are here for them to help get them through whatever it is that it might be during their encounter here in the ED.”
According to YRMC’s outreach specialist Diana Maldonado, over 25 volunteers put in hundreds of hours into assembling the kits together and even sewing some of the capes.
Maldonado said that the Super Kid program has been in the works for about a year now and after National Superhero Day, the Super Kid kits will be given to young patients while they are in care.
Machele Headington, vice president of marketing and support services at YRMC, noted that the kits provide comfort.
“When you go into the doctors office and you have to sit on the table and you are waiting for them to come back in, you are wondering what’s going to happen. To have this happen next, for somebody to come in with the kit, is just really special and I think it kind of breaks the fear a little bit. This adds an element for them that I think is equally important for the staff.”
Caraway said that the kits can also provide a distraction during tough situations.
“Anything to kind of ease their mind and take their mind off of the focus of any pain or any associated things of why they are here — we just want to help them along the way. The clinical side of this puts a whole different spin on the connection that the nurse has with the patient,”
“It’s a very special encounter,” Caraway added. “Obviously, there are things that are uncomfortable to a child that we have to do medically. I just want our community to know we are very proud of what we do and we are very proud of our department. We are really excited to be able to share this experience with the children that come here under unfortunate circumstances and we hope that this definitely improves their patient experience and encounter as a child.”
In total, the hospital obtained about 1,300 Super Kid kits worth about $5 each. YRMC purchased the first set of kits through hospital funds, Headington said.
She explained that the hospital plans to reach out to the community in hopes of partnering with local organizations interested in helping to support the Super Kid program.
For more information, call (928) 336-7005.