The Pilot Club of Central Pennsylvania recently assembled 80 pediatric coping kits and delivered them to the UPMC Lititz Hospital. The coping kits are toy-filled bags that are given to all children who enter the UMPC Lititz emergency department. Color-coded for the children's ages, the kits are designed with an understanding of the developmental needs of children and the stressors inherent in a child's experience of the medical environment.
The coping kits are designed to help both children and parents manage or cope more successfully with the hospital experience. Although the contents of the kits are specific to the age of each child, they support universal coping and stress reduction concepts.
Each kit includes a toy for distraction, a tool which encourages relaxation and deep breathing, an item of comfort, a focus object, and a tool for communication and self-expression. The kits' contents are intended to help empower a child to become an active participant in his or her own care and transfer a medical world into an environment that the child can understand and master.
The Pilot Club of Central Pennsylvania, part of Pilot International, focuses on brain safety and health and helping those who care for others. The club meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the LGH Suburban Pavilion. For more details about the club, readers may contact Lisa Palmquist at lpalmquist948@gmail.com or call 717-951-1432 and leave a message.
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