The Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Program at Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach has been awarded a substantial grant from The Toy Foundation. This support will broaden the reach of its Sensory Program and deliver vital emotional and sensory resources to pediatric patients along with their families throughout the facility.

Introduced in 2024 with initial backing from The Toy Foundation, the Sensory Program supplies specialized equipment and therapeutic play activities. These resources help calm and support children dealing with fear, discomfort, anxiety, or sensory challenges while in the hospital. The approach fosters reassuring settings that aid young patients in managing medical procedures and enhance the experience for entire families.

The latest grant enables Miller Children's & Women's to extend the program into three key departments: the Nightengales' Infusion Center, the Jonathan Jaques Children's Cancer Institute, and the Cherese Mari Laulhere Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Patients in these areas frequently face extended and intricate treatments, where sensory interventions prove especially valuable.

Funding will also improve the hospital's capacity to provide swift sensory assistance during mass casualty events, offering immediate emotional stabilization to affected children.

"Pediatric patients often encounter some of the most challenging and distressing periods in their lives," noted Rita Goshert, director of the Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Program at Miller Children's & Women's Hospital. "Ongoing support from The Toy Foundation has been essential in developing and growing this initiative to address their distinct emotional and sensory requirements, helping them feel more secure, relaxed, and empowered during treatment."

The expanded effort will add mobile sensory stations, sensory toys, and interactive tools aimed at lowering stress and promoting healthy coping strategies. Child Life specialists and trained staff can customize these interventions according to each child's age and specific situation for more targeted support.

Serving nearly 2.5 million residents in Long Beach and nearby areas, Miller Children's & Women's faces growing needs for behavioral health and sensory-informed services. This grant will broaden availability of the Sensory Program so more families receive the specialized assistance required.

"We appreciate The Toy Foundation's sustained collaboration in advancing these efforts," stated Rob Gunsalus, president of Memorial Medical Center Foundation. "Their commitment helps build wider community involvement as we work to increase access to this important care approach."

About Miller Children's & Women's Hospital:
Miller Children's & Women's Hospital, part of MemorialCare, a not-for-profit integrated healthcare system, ranks among only eight free-standing children's hospitals in California and is one of three that care for women and children together. Treating nearly 26,000 hospitalized children each year, the hospital serves as a regional center for over 66,000 children needing specialized outpatient services through the Cherese Mari Laulhere Children's Village Outpatient Center and locations in Torrance, Fountain Valley, and Irvine. With maternal-fetal medicine experts and neonatologists on duty around the clock, Miller Children's & Women's delivers full care for high-risk pregnancies and premature infants and holds national recognition from U.S. News & World Report as a High Performing Hospital for maternity care. The hospital leads in advanced technology with the EOS system to limit radiation exposure for children and remains the sole California facility offering the 7D Surgical System for pediatric spine surgery. Visit millerchildrens.org.

SOURCE Miller Children's & Women's Hospital