In 2018, Cops for Kids partnered with the Starlight Children’s Foundation to support a new pilot program at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, called Captains on Call. Today that program continues, due to the support from Cops for Kids helping children in the Burns and Cystic Fibrosis Units
The idea for this program was to introduce the Starlight Captains into the treatment room to assist clinicians with the care of patients. The Captains were seen as a positive distraction during the patient’s procedures to reduce children’s stress, anxiety and pain, and create a positive hospital experience.
Recently, Starlight Foundation’s Captains Forgetful and Rat completed an engagement in the Burns Unit and passed on the following story: “After singing and calming down our little friends who were receiving burns treatments, we were met with the highest of praises from both sets of parents, as well as the nurses. It really seemed like we made a big difference, as both nurses and the mum were saying how well the child did during the treatment with us there.”
The medical staff have reported differences in the child’s wellbeing when the Captains are there to help during the extremely painful procedures. We are pleased to announce that Cops for Kids has donated $36,669 to the Starlight Children’s Foundation to continue its long term support of the Captains on Call program.
Cops for Kids funds the entire program in South Australia in the Burns and Cystic Fibrosis Units. Due to the continued success of the program at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Captains on Call was also introduced into other interstate children’s hospitals. Captains on Call would not exists with the members of Cops for Kids.
