St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan Officially Opens Toys"R" Us Children's Fund Starlight Site
03/26/2007
Media contacts:
Starlight Starbright: Elaine Siver, 212/354.2878, elaine@starlightnyc.org
St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan: Maura Duffy, 212/604-2675, mduffy@svcmcny.org
New Day Room Provides A Relaxing Haven for Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Patients
NEW YORK - March 7 - On March 14, St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan will unveil a new Toys 'R' Us Children's Fund-Starlight Site, a state-of-the-art playroom created in partnership with the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation. The unveiling is part of a $7 million, multi-year donation made by the Toys 'R' Us Children's Fund to Starlight Starbright for the construction and renovation of kids' playrooms in hospitals across the country. Built in the Child and Adolescent Inpatient Unit, the playroom will be the first of its kind designed to help children with emotional, behavioral and developmental problems.
'Toys 'R' Us and the Toys 'R' Us Children's Fund are committed to improving the quality of life for children,' said Kathleen Waugh, Chairman of the Toys 'R' Us Children's Fund, Inc. 'And through these playrooms, we hope to bring much-needed joy to child and adolescent psychiatry patients at St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan.'
With shooting stars across the walls, a color palette of cheerful, calming colors, and special 'zones' for quiet, multi-sensory recreation, entertainment and TV watching, and classroom activity, the multi-functional Starlight Site will serve as a relaxing space for the hospital's child and adolescent psychiatric patients. Among other activities, the Starlight Site will host special classroom activities, including movie nights, live entertainment, and various art, drama, pet, yoga and other therapies. Site amenities include a flat screen LCD TV with DVD/VCR player, karaoke machine with 2 microphones, CD player, wall-mounted interactive games, and new toys purchased with a $1,000 gift card from Toys 'R' Us Times Square, located at 1514 Broadway.
The site will be dedicated at noon, in the Reiss Building, room 635, with the assistance of friends of St. Vincent's, staff and other supporters. Additional attendees at the dedication will include Toys 'R' Us mascot Geoffrey and local Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us representatives, representatives from the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, and hospital executives and physicians.
'The renovation of this room is a wonderful contribution to the hospital and the lives of the children treated here,' said Dr. Reese Abright, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan. 'The warm and inviting environment created by Toys 'R' Us Children's Fund and Starlight Starbright, along with the new toys and equipment, will greatly facilitate our work with the children and families who come to St. Vincent's for help, and we are grateful to these two organizations for the care and consideration with which they have carried out this project.'
In Support of a Growing Trend
The Toys 'R' Us Children's Fund-Starlight Starbright partnership is an example of a movement in hospital care as hospitals are addressing patients' needs by teaming up with the private sector. In addition, the playroom program addresses the burgeoning, nationwide hospital trend of looking at a patient's environment as an important factor in the healing process.
'For children confined to a hospital, the opportunity to have fun in a well-equipped, inviting atmosphere assists in the healing process,' said Jane Van Stedum, vice president of program services for Starlight Starbright. 'While play experiences are valuable in their own right, they also provide children an opportunity to express their feelings, release stress and learn new skills. Our partnership with Toys 'R' Us allows us to enhance the quality of our site program and bring countless hours of therapeutic fun to the children who need it most.'
About Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation
Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation is a non-profit organization that helps seriously ill children and their families cope with the pain, fear and isolation of prolonged illness through entertainment, education and family activities. Starlight Starbright offers an impressive array of in-hospital, outpatient, school and home-based programs and services that touch the lives of more than 180,000 children and families each month. To learn more visit www.starlight.org or www.starlight-newyork.org.
About Toys 'R' Us Children's Fund
Since it was founded in 1992, the Toys 'R' Us Children's Fund, Inc. has donated millions of dollars each year to organizations and charities that help children and infants in need. Because children are the heart and soul of our business, the 'R' Us family has a strong sense of responsibility to do whatever we can to make the lives of children happier and healthier. Funds raised through the Toys 'R' Us Children's Fund are used to support numerous worthwhile organizations, including the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, Autism Speaks, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, National Lekotek Center, and Kids In Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.), among many others.
About Saint Vincent's
Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers (Saint Vincent's) is anchored by St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan, an academic medical center located in Greenwich Village, St. Vincent's Westchester, a behavioral health hospital in Westchester County, and continuing care services that include two skilled nursing facilities in Brooklyn, another on Staten Island, a hospice, and a home health agency serving the Metropolitan New York area. Its behavioral health services also provide supportive housing programs for people with mental illness throughout the Metropolitan area. The system became affiliated with St. Vincent's Midtown Hospital (formerly St. Clare's) in 2003. Saint Vincent's is the designated provider for the New York and New Jersey region of the US Family Health Plan sponsored by the US Department of Defense.
Saint Vincent's serves as the academic medical center of New York Medical College in New York City. The healthcare organization is sponsored by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn and the president of the Sisters of Charity of New York.
