Intermountain’s Logan Regional Hospital added their very first child life specialist to help children and their parents cope with the anxiety of a pediatric treatment or surgery.
Child life specialists are psychosocial healthcare professionals trained in child development, including coping strategies and family systems. Intermountain Children’s Health has 70 such specialists across the state and now Logan Regional Hospital has one: Leticia Clegg.
“Most kids are pretty nervous to go back for surgery,” Clegg said. “So I am able to talk with them on an age appropriate level. I utilize photos and medical supplies to help explain kind of what the procedure will be like, what they’ll experience, the different rooms that they might go into. And then I work with them to create a coping plan, and we come up with different ways that the child might be able to cope throughout the procedure.”
Clegg has supported over 250 kids just since January at the Logan hospital.
9-year-old Kobi recently came in for a same-day surgery and her parents were worried. Her mom, Jesica Egbert, said Clegg was there to help them all get through it.
“It just makes the experience so much less stressful, because the child is just so much more comfortable and understands what’s going on,” Egbert said. “And she gives them a couple choices of things they can do, and so they kind of get the power back in their hands. And it’s remarkable, the difference it made, absolutely I would recommend it to all parents.”
Clegg held Kobi’s hand until she fell asleep from the anesthesia and kept her parents updated throughout the procedure.
“We are just here to support their child and make this the best experience possible,” Clegg said.
Clegg not only helps children on the pediatric floor but also in the emergency room, and the service is supported entirely by donations.
“It’s not charged for our service, you can request child labor services, and we will do our best to support for those needs,” Clegg said. “It is something that is offered free for families.”
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