Newswise — (New York – February 1, 2016) –– The Child Life Zone at the Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai, also known as “The Zone,” is celebrating its tenth anniversary. The Zone is an innovative therapeutic and educational environment for patients and their families, providing Mount Sinai’s pediatric patients with celebrity visitors and a number of special programs.
A state-of-the-art, in-house television studio called KidZone TV, or KZTV, is a main aspect of The Zone. KZTV broadcasts original and interactive live and pre-recorded programming to patient rooms on a dedicated television channel. Patients who are well enough can participate either behind or in front of the camera. Those who must stay in their rooms or treatment areas can watch KZTV on their televisions and call in to the studio via an on-air phone line. Along with game shows, KZTV often hosts special visiting guests, including celebrity performers and athletes who take part in question-and-answer sessions with patients.
In addition to the KZTV studio, The Zone offers other activities and spaces, including a movie theater, a library, a recreation and game room with crafts areas, and a special quiet room where patients and families can relax on their own or with the aid of meditation specialists or therapists.
“Being in the hospital, whether as an inpatient or outpatient, can be difficult and overwhelming for a child,” said Lisa M. Satlin, MD, System Chair of Pediatrics for the Mount Sinai Health System and Pediatrician-in-Chief of the Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai. “We are delighted that we can give all of our patients a chance to have fun, even though they are in the hospital.”
The Child Life Zone at the Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai is the first facility of its kind in the Northeast. It was opened in 2006 in partnership with the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation. Since then, The Zone at the Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai has continued to work closely with Teammates for Kids. The Zone has also formed relationships with other organizations which have helped continue to bring new, original programming and celebrity guests to The Zone.
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of therapeutic programming and to honor the patients and families they serve, The Zone at the Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai has arranged a full week of celebrations for patients, including:
• Wednesday, February 3o Actor Dexter Darden of The Maze Runner series will be hosting a live show on KidZone TV in collaboration with The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp’s Hospital Outreach Program.
• Friday, February 5o RL Stine, author of the Goosebumps book series, will be appearing on KidZone TV in collaboration with Project Sunshine.
“We are so thankful for the many wonderful individuals and organizations who have teamed up with us over the past decade to make The Zone at the Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai as successful as it has been,” said Diane Rode, Director of Child Life at the Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai. “As we mark our tenth anniversary, we look forward to seeing what the next 10 years will bring.”
Other people and organizations participating in the celebrations throughout the week include Raviv Ullman, Temple Emanue-El, Yura on Madison, The Little Mermen with Musicians on Call, Lollipop Theater Network, Blick Art Materials, the NY Sharks, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The EnCourage Kids Foundation and The Mount Sinai Children’s Center Foundation contribute vital funding to The Zone.
About the Mount Sinai Health SystemThe Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services—from community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care. The System includes approximately 6,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 12 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked as one of the nation’s top 10 hospitals in Geriatrics, Cardiology/Heart Surgery, and Gastroenterology, and is in the top 25 in five other specialties in the 2015-2016 “Best Hospitals” issue of U.S. News & World Report. Mount Sinai’s Kravis Children’s Hospital also is ranked in seven out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 11th nationally for Ophthalmology, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel is ranked regionally.
For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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