Mega Doctor News
Being admitted to the hospital can be anxiety-inducing for any patient, so imagine how that experience can affect a child. For children requiring hospitalization, it can be especially frightening being separated from family in an unfamiliar place filled with numerous unknowns.
Through its Child Life Program, South Texas Health System Children’s provides developmental, educational and therapeutic interventions to help pediatric patients and their family members better cope with the emotional effects of a hospitalization.
“The Child Life Program is a remarkable asset to STHS Children’s,” says Lance Ames, Chief Executive Officer, STHS Children’s & STHS Edinburg. “It’s designed to provide our littlest patients and their families a welcome distraction by providing fun and educational activities that help ease and normalize the experience of coming to a hospital.”
The valuable work of STHS Children’s Child Life Program wouldn’t be possible without the gracious support of community partners like Spirit Halloween. The seasonal retailer has helped make the hospital setting less frightening and intimidating for pediatric patients across the United States for nearly 20 years.
In the Rio Grande Valley, Spirit Halloween has donated nearly $260,000 to STHS Children’s since 2018 through its Spirit of Children initiative.
Along with helping fund therapeutic, recreational and medical play activities like art therapy to help patients express emotions and manage stress, Spirit Halloween donations have helped STHS Children’s purchase sensory equipment, enhance the facility’s two pediatric playrooms and construct the STHS Children’s Healing Garden, a special outdoorspace for patients and their families to relax during their hospital stay.
Following a successful 2024 Halloween season, Spirit Halloween’s five Rio Grande Valley seasonal locations in McAllen, Weslaco, Harlingen and Brownsville helped raise additional funds for STHS Children’s Child Life Program through the sale of costumes, accessories and décor, as well as donations from the community.
During a special check presentation on Thursday, February 27, Spirit Halloween’s local franchise owner donated $56,948 to the Auxiliary to South Texas Health System, the healthcare system’s non-profit arm, to continue its unwavering support the Child Life Program initiatives at STHS Children’s.
“Spirit Halloween believes in giving back to our communities and there’s no better cause to give to than one that helps sick kids,” says Whitney Thompson, Rio Grande Valley District Manager, Spirit Halloween. “This is money that was raised by the Rio Grande Valley and it’s staying in this community. Spirit Halloween is proud to be able to facilitate that.”
The donation will be used to provide patient, sibling and family support services, as well as patient-focused resources, including therapy programming, toys, crafts, art supplies and more.
“For the last seven years, Spirit Halloween has been instrumental in helping us make the hospital setting less intimidating at STHS Children’s,” says Ames. “This donation will allow us to continue providing emotional support to our young patients as they deal with the uncertainty hospitalization that it can cause.”
Since 2018, Spirit Halloween has donated $315,608 to STHS Children’s. To learn more about the partnership between STHS Children’s and Spirit Halloween, as well as the facility’s Child Life Program, visit STHSChildrens.com.
