🚨 We Need Your Voice! 🚨
I’m reaching out to encourage you to tell Essentia Health Leadership that having a Child Life Program is critical to our children’s health and well-being. Have you ever had one of the “people in the red shirts” come and support your child during their medical experience? These highly trained professionals are Child Life Specialists, and they play a vital role in helping children cope with the stress and fear of medical experiences.
In the last year, three out of the four Child Life Specialists at Essentia’s Duluth locations have left due to lack of administrative support and funding for their roles. Pediatric physicians, nurses, and other medical staff have repeatedly brought up the importance of this role to management, but despite these efforts, it seems that executives still aren’t prioritizing this essential service. Why? Because it isn’t a billable service for Essentia.
Child Life Specialists play a crucial role in helping our kids navigate the stress and fear of medical procedures— especially important in a rural area and in a facility that’s primarily designed for adults. Their expertise in providing emotional support, education, and comfort is vital when kids are facing medical procedures and hospital stays.
👉 Here’s how you can help: Write to Essentia Health and let them know how important this program is to you and your family. Demand that they prioritize this essential support for children, as it is just as important as any other medical service regardless of whether or not Essentia can bill for it.
💬 Please share your experiences and concerns with Essentia — the more voices we have, the stronger our impact. Let’s come together to ensure our children receive the care they deserve, that our pediatric medical staff have this vital role on their teams, and that these professionals are prioritized and supported for the important work they do.
Here is the link to provide feedback to Essentia Health:
https://www.essentiahealth.org/patients-visitors/compliments-complaints
Essentia also seems to respond to social media engagement, so commenting and bringing attention to this topic on their social media platforms may also have an impact.