HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER SALUTES MAKE A CHILD SMILE, INC.

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Founded in 1995, Make a Child Smile, Inc. (MACS) is a non-profit organization, whose mission statement is to enhance and brighten the lives of ill children who are hospitalized by supporting their emotional, developmental, and psychological needs through entertainment, art therapy, and gift giving programs. Make A Child Smile's five year commitment to Hackensack University Medical Center, a state-designated children's hospital, has supported several programs within the Department of Pediatrics Child Life Services at the medical center, many of which would not have been founded without their assistance.

After her child's brief stay in a local hospital, Tracy Sipprelle of Old Tappan, founder and president of MACS, was determined to increase understanding of the hospital experience. According to Ms. Sipprelle, there is more to curing an illness than traditional medical procedure. "I think it is an important part of medicine today to address the emotional and psychological needs of hospitalized children and their families," said Ms. Sipprelle. Raising monies for area hospitals, this Northern New Jersey based group is comprised of parents whose children have been hospitalized at one time or another.

Make A Child Smile's donations have supported Art Therapy Support Groups and new toys for the playrooms in the DON IMUS-WFAN Pediatric Center for Tomorrows Children. They also help fund the Annual Holiday party held in the inpatient pediatric unit at Hackensack University Medical Center. With an intended goal of $20,000 during its first year, Make A Child Smile has since raised and donated more than $130,000 to the medical center over the past five years. The majority of which was raised through their annual dinner dance and annual newsletter.

Erika Leeuwenburgh, MPS, LPC, ART-BC, CCLS of Allendale, section chief of the Child Life Services Division, works closely with the organization to ensure not only the child's psychological needs are met, but the needs of the entire family are met as well. "Treating the entire family is important and costly," explains Leeuwenburgh. "Make A Child Smile's funding is imperative for the continuation of these programs."

Two outstanding programs funded by Make A Child Smile at Hackensack University Medical Center are the Sibling Visitation Program and Music Therapy for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Child Life Services and the NICU began the Sibling Visitation Program in 1998 to prepare children for visiting their critically ill sibling in the NICU. Used in conjunction with the Sibling Visitation Program, the Sibling Visitation Coloring Book (funded entirely by MACS) allows siblings to understand the medical center's NICU, the stresses that their parents are coping with, and why the baby hasn't come home yet.

While visiting the music therapist, the child reviews the coloring book. After discussing why their sibling is in the NICU and his/her feelings with the therapist, the child is taken into the ICU to visit their sibling. The therapist is present to answer any questions that the nurses or parents are unable to answer. After the visit, there is a brief follow-up with the therapist. At this time any further questions are answered and the child's feelings about the visit are discussed. In addition, the children's thoughts and feelings are expressed through an improvisational song created by the child and therapist. This process gives the sibling a better understanding of the overall situation and puts the child at ease.

The Music Therapy Program funded by Make A Child Smile, has been incorporated into the NICU and Pediatric Unit. The program's most innovative and therapeutic production has been audiotapes for babies in the NICU. While a fairly new form of therapy, studies have shown that soothing music and the mother's voice act to decrease stress and can positively stimulate the premature babies. With the help of a music therapist, a mother is able to produce a tape with her voice over background music. The tape is then played repeatedly in the baby's isolette. This is particularly important when there are so many care providers needed to stabilize the baby in the NICU.

Many parents, including Olga Muller and Peter Munoz of West Paterson, have taken advantage of this program. Both parents were able to participate in the making of the tape, but the majority of the tape contains the mother's voice. This is because the baby is able to distinguish the maternal voice from other female voices. Craig Gillespie, M.S., M.A., M.T.-B.C., Senior Child Life/Music Therapist of Fairfield, Conn., gives the parents the option to pick out desired songs from his CD collection or plays his guitar in the background. "The parents also have the option to speak their own thoughts or read from a variety of books available," said Gillespie. "The key here is that they have control over the production of the tape because the doctors and nurses have control over their baby."

Both Olga and Peter felt that making the tape benefited both themselves and their baby. "It's good for the parents to do something together," said Olga. "She'll hear our voices and won't feel as lonely." Also, this promotes the bond between the parents and child that is essential at an early age, but is difficult to form when the infant is in the busy NICU for a prolonged period of time.

Make A Child Smile continues to support Hackensack University Medical Center and several of its programs. For more information on The Department of Pediatrics and the programs run by Child Life Services, please contact Erika Leeuwenburgh, at (201) 996-5333. For more information on Make A Child Smile, Inc., please contact their office at (201) 784-4948.