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Is a Hospital Visit on the Horizon for Your Child?

Then Ship them Off to KidsHealthGalaxy.com

If little Johnny or Jane need to have an X-ray, a routine procedure, it can become overwhelming. They’re kids. The thought of hospital visits can become scary. Hollywood has made more than a couple of films and TV shows that revolve around children trying to escape medical procedures.
But it doesn’t have to be so scary; a new Web site by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, www.KidsHealthGalaxy.com , takes kids on an animated ride through cyberspace and prepares them for a potential hospital visit with fun and educational information designed just for them.

“Our goal is to show children what to expect before they come to the Hospital, so the new experience becomes less scary and more of an adventure,” said Chris Brown, M.S., C.C.L.S., director of child life, education and creative arts therapy at Children’s Hospital. “KidsHealthGalaxy.com is an introduction to the Hospital, designed to reinforce the preparation we do once families arrive.”

The site provides an interactive, virtual tour of the hospital and allows children to experience the sights and sounds of the facility. They’ll meet doctors, nurses, and staff members. They’ll watch animated movies describing common medical procedures. They’ll find out what to pack for an overnight stay and play and learn through games. Moreover, the site is narrated so children who are too young to read can use the site too.

When kids visit the site they see Joey, a little boy who wears a space helmet and flies to the various places on the site in a little red ship. They can choose three places to go to: Hospital: People, Places & Packing; the Medical Library, or Fun and Games.

If they fly off to the Medical Library they can watch a story by a blue-haired, pig-tailed girl named Suzy: She talks about her visit to the hospital. They could also take a trip to Hospital: People, Places & Packing and hear from staff members ranging from the security guard to the doctor to the librarian. And at Fun and Games they could play a matching game or help a little, pink-haired girl named Maria help pack.

The Kids Health Galaxy Web site is a result of a collaborative effort between The Children’s Hospital Web Center and the Child Life Department, with the help of experts from Radiology, Day Surgery and the Intravenous team. Throughout the development process, the site was tested by children and changed to better serve the region’s young based on their responses. Kids Health Galaxy was funded in part by the Comcast Foundation.

For more information about The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, visit www.chop.edu.