New licensed youngster life specialist Leticia Clegg at Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital helps younger sufferers higher perceive their diagnoses and coverings – and the hospital is already seeing a lower in treatment wanted to cut back stress.

Clegg helps kids receiving emergency and surgical care, outpatient procedures similar to blood attracts, and supporting and inspiring inpatient kids with their remedy plans, together with discovering enjoyable methods to assist them take drugs, stroll, and eat.

“The group can relaxation straightforward figuring out that when their kids come to Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital, they are going to be cared for as in the event that they have been certainly one of our personal,” stated Brandon McBride, president of Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital. “Baby life specialists tackle the psychological and social facets of caring for sick or injured kids. An funding in youngster life is an funding within the well being of youngsters in our group.”

Baby life companies at Intermountain Well being are supported solely by philanthropy and group donations and are free to sufferers. Donations fund specialist salaries and provides, which embody Barbie dolls, medical play objects, crayons, bubbles, blankets, and stuffed animals.

However youngster life is far more than youngster’s play.

Baby life specialists are psychosocial healthcare professionals with centered coaching in youngster improvement, evaluation and coping methods, household techniques, and evidence-based supportive interventions.

They assist kids from infancy via adolescence to lower stress and enhance coping via play, schooling, and normalization of the medical setting.

“When a baby wants surgical procedure, it may be tremendous scary – and a whole lot of kids don’t know what to anticipate and may are likely to assume the worst,” stated Leticia Clegg, licensed youngster life specialist at Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital.

“Baby life makes use of play and age-appropriate schooling to assist kids perceive what’s going to occur to them to assist them be much less afraid,” Clegg added. “It actually makes a distinction within the youngster’s potential to bounce again from their expertise now and later in life.”

Within the first month of kid life companies, Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital skilled a few 90 % discount within the variety of kids needing sedatives within the same-day surgical procedure unit, stated Marcie Sherner, RN, nurse supervisor of identical day surgical procedure and the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) on the hospital. The end result is just like findings revealed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

One affected person helped by Clegg’s experience is 9-year-old Kobi Egbert.

Kobi wanted a process in same-day surgical procedure. However the considered surgical procedure made her very anxious, stated her mother, Jesica Egbert.

“My husband and I have been so fearful about Kobi and the way she’d take this, and we have been fearful about leaving her alone,” Egbert stated. “And in walks Letitia, and he or she was great from the start.”

Clegg introduced Kobi toys she appreciated, and confirmed her photos, and used actual medical provides to assist her perceive what the surgical procedure can be like.

“She rapidly befriended Kobi and made her really feel so good and secure, which isn’t at all times straightforward,” Egbert stated. “When it was time to go to surgical procedure, Kobi was unhappy however was okay as a result of she had Leticia to go together with her. She was the whole lot Kobi wanted to get via that day. She simply took all the fear away.”

Throughout surgical procedure, Clegg got here to the ready room to speak to Kobi’s mother and father.

“She instructed us she held Kobi’s hand till she fell asleep, and gave us a rundown how she was doing,” Egbert stated. “She made us really feel higher too.”

Clegg is certainly one of 70 youngster life specialists serving to care for youngsters at 11 Intermountain hospitals and care websites, together with all Intermountain Major Youngsters’s Hospital areas, Utah Valley Hospital, McKay-Dee Hospital, Riverton Hospital, St. George Regional Hospital, American Fork Hospital, Park Metropolis Hospital, Heber Valley Hospital, Layton Hospital, and now, Logan Regional Hospital. Baby life additionally supplies digital consults at Intermountain Medical Heart.

Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital leaders hope to develop youngster life companies, which would require group assist.

For extra details about how you can assist youngster life at Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital, go to https://www.justserve.org/tasks/7a642119-b37e-4431-8f50-13c2caf5ca89/donations-to-logan-regional-hospital?shiftId=f74cb5e6-8ad0-481c-ada6-a6a51e28d078.

About Intermountain Well being

Headquartered in Utah with areas in six states and extra operations throughout the western U.S., Intermountain Well being is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, roughly 400 clinics, medical teams with some 4,600 employed physicians and superior care suppliers, a well being plans division known as Choose Well being with a couple of million members, and different well being companies. Serving to individuals dwell the healthiest lives doable, Intermountain is dedicated to enhancing group well being and is well known as a frontrunner in reworking healthcare through the use of evidence-based greatest practices to constantly ship high-quality outcomes at sustainable prices. For up-to-date info and bulletins, please see the Intermountain Well being newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/information.