HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital celebrates Child Life Month and Green Bay’s largest team of Child Life Specialists

GREEN BAY, Wis. – HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital in Green Bay is proud to celebrate Green Bay’s largest team of Child Life Specialists this March, during Child Life Month.

The team of Child Life Specialists at HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital are certified care providers who offer comfort and joy to patients and their families at Green Bay’s first and only children’s hospital. 

“As the largest team of Child Life Specialists in the region, our team has the opportunity to make so many meaningful connections with patients and their families,” said Shannon Kaufmann, HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital Child Life Specialist. “From preparing a kiddo for a complex procedure to helping to normalize their visit to our hospital, we do our best to put smiles on their faces. It is the most rewarding job.”

These highly trained specialists focus on making sure every child feels safe and loved, and free from worry. By creating a supportive atmosphere and carefree moments, Child Life Specialists help kids escape the stress of the hospital so they can focus on being kids and teenagers—not patients.  Whether it’s explaining a health condition in language kids understand, distracting them with a fun, bed-side game or offering older kids a welcoming space to talk and express themselves, Child Life Specialists aim to make sure every child has a positive experience at the hospital.

“Our team is entirely devoted to helping kids cope with stressful medical experiences,” said Lauren Vanden Heuvel, HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital Child Life Specialist. “Every day we look at complex health situations and how they are seen through the lens of our patients. Then we look at how to best explain things, in a child-friendly way, so they’re aware of what is about to happen and they’re more prepared.”

Every day, the team of Child Life Specialists at HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital have about 30 to 40 interactions with patients and their families. Regardless of whether a child is visiting the hospital for a short appointment or an extended stay, this team is prepared to help kids and their loved ones during some of the most challenging circumstances. Their care extends beyond the patient, supporting the whole family. From helping siblings of pediatric patients to providing grief support for children who are losing a loved one, the Child Life team ensures every family member feels seen, supported and cared for. 

“We’re blessed to have the most robust team of Child Life Specialists in the Green Bay region – for both our patients and their families,” said Amy Bardon, Director of HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital. “I am so grateful for this team, during Child Life month and every month, for the compassion and care they provide everyone they encounter.”
 
About HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital
Located inside the walls of HSHS St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, Wis., HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital is Green Bay’s first and only children’s hospital. With every detail tailored to kids, HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital delivers exceptional health care to children while making them feel comfortable and supported. As a partner of Prevea Health, it has direct access to dedicated pediatricians and a wide variety of specialty care physicians. HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital is also a member of the Children’s Hospital Association, the voice for more than 220 children’s hospitals nationwide. For more information about HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital, visit: www.stvincentchildrenshospital.org

About Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS)
Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) is a Catholic health care ministry founded in 1875. Dedicated to our Mission to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through high-quality Franciscan health care, HSHS clinicians provide exceptional care centered on the whole person. Based in Springfield, Illinois, HSHS employs more than 11,000 colleagues who provide care in 13 acute-care, children’s and critical-access hospitals and home health and hospice programs in Central and Southern Illinois and Eastern Wisconsin. HSHS is aligned with more than 1,000 primary and specialty physicians and advanced practitioners through its owned affiliates HSHS Medical Group and Prairie Cardiovascular and its partnership with Prevea Health. For more information about HSHS, visit hshs.org.