AHVRP Highlights

• 2010 AHVRP Annual Conference 
  Navigating Our Future Through A Changing Frontier 
  St. Louis Union Station Marriott
  St. Louis, MO
  Dates: 9/30/10 - 10/3/10
  SAVE up to $50
  Register Online by 4/1/10
  Register by Postcard 

Through Beaumont Hospital’s mission, to provide all patients the highest quality health care services, delivered efficiently, effectively and compassionately, the Beaumont Parenting Program has a long history of excellence in being a community leader in the area of supporting new parents and infants. Their relationships with families reach far beyond the doors of the hospital, providing compassionate care, education and support. The positive impact has been felt for a generation of families.

Since its inception in 1980, the program has served over 70,000 families, crossing five counties. This exemplary primary prevention program was designed to provide a safe environment for families to share and learn, while helping them to build a strong family foundation and support network, including over 350 specially trained Beaumont volunteers.

The goal of the program is to increase new parents knowledge base and confidence by matching them with experienced, objective, trained parent volunteers as well as to provide information, education and emotional support in individual and group settings.

The unique qualities of this include: the wide scope and magnitude of support and education offered to parents and infants throughout the first year postpartum; a seamless prenatal through postnatal experience for new parents; a program that provides a safety net and opportunities for education, while creating a “neighborhood feel.”

KIDS’ NIGHT OUT
Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics
Kansas City, MO
Stacy Koenig, Director of Volunteer Services

With the Children’s Mercy philosophy of “family centered care,” the Kids’ Night Out program revolves around the well-being of the entire family and empowers the family to be the primary source of sustenance for the hospitalized child. Kids’ Night Out provides a group of diversionary and entertaining activities for all inpatients who are physically able to leave their hospital room in the evening.

A different activity is available each weekday evening to introduce fun, variety and a sense of normalcy into the daily schedule of children experiencing hospital stays. The weekly structure provides a sense of anticipation for the hospitalized child, “something to look forward to,” and provides an activity that families can do together or a child can do on their own with assistance from evening volunteers. Some of the weekly activities include Cooking Creations, Family BINGO, Pet Pals for Patients and Wednesday Night Live, which calls upon community and corporate groups to provide the entertainment or activity.

Through the use of 60 weekly hospital volunteers, as well as an additional 350-400 episodic community and corporate volunteers, Kids’ Night Out provides a positive environment for patients and families as well as providing developmentally appropriate play and social opportunities. These opportunities help normalize the environment for the hospitalized child alleviating boredom and frustration while facilitating a sense of tranquility, well-being and healing.