This new pilot program embeds behavioral health clinicians in primary care practices to facilitate early intervention and improve access to treatment. Knowing that nearly 30 to 40 percent of primary care visits are for behavioral health reasons, community providers shared they were looking for solutions to better support patients. By placing our behavioral health clinicians in these practices to address mental health needs, it frees up pediatricians to focus on providing medical care. We currently have two community-based primary care offices participating in the pilot program – Children’s Mercy Pediatric Care Clinic on Broadway and Pediatric Partners (Overland Park and Olathe).

Facilities

Leo’s Place 

Children’s Mercy promotes a foundation for family support by providing patient’s with everything a child and their family could need in a time of stress. The hospital’s dedication to family centered care is quite apparent in the cheerful, “no-procedure zone” playrooms like Leo’s Place. Playrooms are found on each patient floor and are colorful, welcoming spaces for patients, siblings and family members to gather. Because the desire to play is a virtual constant in a child’s life, this is an important feature, a mindset that promotes education, entertainment and normalcy in the hospital setting. This psycho-social approach to healthcare has been proven to increase results and decrease healing time.

Our Impact

Named in honor of Leo Scott and the Scott family, “Leo’s Place” is a playroom located inside Children’s Mercy for children fighting cancer in the Children’s Mercy Cancer Center. The “no-procedure zone” playroom is a space that promotes education, entertainment and normalcy in the hospital setting and allows patients, families and siblings to play with toys, participate in art or music therapy and to simply have an opportunity to be out of their hospital rooms and be a kid. Support from the 2015 Fore the Kids Golf Tournament provided funds to purchase new items to fill “Leo’s Place”.

Furry Companions

The Need

Studies show that dogs can reduce stress and help make people feel better, emotionally and physically. For many patients, playing with a dog helps make the hospital feel more like home. The dogs might encourage a child to go for a walk, socialize with others, or participate in therapies. For some children, there’s not better medicine or treatment that compares to snuggling in bed with a warm fluffy friend. The impact of a facility dog has helped to lower elevated heart & respiration rates, provides distraction and normalization for sick children, and helps children feel better emotionally and physically. 

Our Impact 

The 2014 Fore the Kids Golf Tournament helped to establish and endowed fund, which will provide the ongoing medical care for Children’s Mercy’s two facility dogs, Hunter & Hope. 

Hunter & Hope

Hunter and Hope were born and raised at a non-profit organization called Canine Assistants, Inc. in Milton, GA where they were trained to become service dogs. Each is paired with a patient activity coordinator in the Child Life Department who is their primary handler. Both dogs come to work with their handlers each morning, Monday-Friday, and go home with them at the end of the work day. When Hunter and Hope are not at work, they relax and play with other members of their handlers’ families. When they are at work, they are the incentive for children who make it through tough days and want a snuggle partner or play time.

Tech Donations

iPads for Child Life Department 

The Child Life Department at Children’s Mercy provides services to make the hospital experience easier and more comfortable for patients and families. This includes reducing stress and worry that may come with being in the hospital or from being ill, helping children deal with their feelings, thoughts, and questions, providing services to help children continue to learn and grow while in the hospital.

The Impact an iPad Has

• Provides distraction and normalization for sick children
• Helps to reduce stress and worry
• Helps deal with their feelings, thoughts, and questions
• Provides the ability to keep learning and growing mentally while in care

Ambulances

The Need 

Children’s Mercy Critical Care Transport is the only 24-hour a day, seven day a week transport program in the region dedicated exclusively to neonates, children and adolescents. Children’s Mercy Critical Care Transport’s ground fleet is one of the busiest pediatric transport teams in the nation. With more than 5,300 pediatric transports annually, the Children’s Mercy Critical Care Transport team continues to have a need to grow their fleet of specially designed ground ambulances.

Children’s Mercy Ambulances:

• are equipped with safety restraints
• have specially designed lock-down system for the isolettes and stretchers
• include stereos and DVD players to provide distraction therapy
• EMTs and Paramedics that hold KS and MO driver’s licenses and EMT/EMT-P licenses

Our Impact