Flushing Hospital Receives Starlight Starbright Grant

The Pediatric Department at Flushing Hospital was recently awarded a grant from the Starlight Starbright Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with serious medical conditions. At the request of the hospital, the grant will be used to hire a child life specialist to help children and their families cope with the challenges faced during their hospital stay.

“We wanted to add a child life specialist to our team because of the vital role they will play in assuring that children and their families have the support and medical understanding they need,” explained Maria DeMarinis Smilios, ADN, Maternal Child Services. “It’s quite normal for children and parents to experience fear and isolation when admitted to the hospital. This new position should really make their stay more pleasant.”

The child life specialist will help children understand medical procedures and diagnoses through play therapy, accompany children through those procedures, and offer psychological and emotional support to children and their families.

“I am very excited about this grant,” said DeMarinis Smilios. “It is one of the first grants that I’ve applied to and I’m really looking forward to the much needed changes to our pediatric unit.”

The hiring of a child life specialist is one of two changes Flushing Hospital’s pediatric unit expects over the next few months. In March, the unit also received a grant from the Ronald McDonald House Charities for a new pediatric playroom. More details will shortly follow.