Wayne Memorial Hospital welcomes donations for toy box
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on December 15, 2016 9:57 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Summer Flowers, right, supervisor and educator in the pediatrics department at Wayne Memorial Hospital, helps patient Kysan Leary, 8, pick out a toy.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
The toy box on the pediatrics unit at Wayne Memorial Hospital is looking a little sparse.
A few blankets, some handmade stuffed animals. Even a poker set.
The problem, though, is not how much is being donated -- it's making sure the items can be handed out to the kids, says Summer Flowers, supervisor and educator of pediatrics.
"We're having a hard time with the community wanting to help," she said. "They just don't know what."
New to the role -- she has been at the hospital nine years but always worked in ICU and until recently was a neonatal flight nurse -- she is all about taking care of kids, she said.
"We had a little boy here, he had really bad asthma," she said. "I went to help him set up a Playstation and it wouldn't work. It was the only Playstation we had. We tried and tried."
The item was key, she said, not only because of the fun factor it held, but in cases after treatments or IVs, allows the young patient to sit calmly and quietly.
So she posted something on her Facebook page, asking if anyone had a Playstation to donate to the hospital.
"I was overwhelmed by the responses," she said.
Not the generosity part -- she already recognizes that from her hometown. What it prompted, though, was the opportunity to share some ways to best support kids having to be in the hospital over the holidays, or any time.
It is not uncommon to have folks bake cookies or drop off candy, clean out their closets and put together a bag of toys no longer being used. Others call and want to go caroling on the ward or visit the hospitalized children.
And as lovely as all those gestures are, none of them work in a pediatrics unit of a hospital.
"It sounds like a nice thing to do, but they can't. It's a secure area," said Georgia Dees, director of public relations.
"Families are allowed to visit and can have friends during certain times," Mrs. Flowers added. "But due to cold and flu season, we're not having community visitors."
Fun kid foods like cupcakes and candy are also off limits, she said, due to dietary restrictions and food allergies.
And yes, toys also come with strings attached.
The big wooden toybox is set up to provide hours of fun during a boring hospital stay, whether they are recuperating from surgeries, having treatment or there as the result of an unexpected admission.
"For some kids, they went to the doctor's office and got sent over here so their favorite toy (is) at home. Their favorite doll (is) at home, and their parents aren't going to leave them to go get a doll," Mrs. Flowers said. "So you're just kind of stuck. You're telling a 5 year old to sit in bed and not do anything. That's discouraging."
As great as the nursing staff is, she said, they aren't always able to stay in a child's room and play with them.
"We look for things to entertain them and things for them to do that are fun, educational and distracting for what's going on in their life right then, that gives them comfort," she said. "Their parents aren't here, their parents aren't hanging around or they can't be there for whatever reason. Kids are just having bad days up here."
It's a treat to go visit the toybox at the nurses station, she said, where they can pick out something they like.
There are several guidelines around what makes it into the toybox, she said, because of infection control and safety issues.
"They have to be new because they're going home with the child," she said. "It's their child's item when they get them. And the look on their faces, it's like you've given them the world. And when you're alone in a hospital room, that's your thing."
Pediatrics serves children from 2-day-old babies up to age 19, so don't worry about the right toy, the staff will take care of that.
"The best thing to do is take your child to the store and think, what would you like to play with if you were stuck in bed?" she said. "Nurses are really good about deciding what's age-appropriate."
The unit has a limited amount of storage space, where it can contain some larger items, like a Playstation. But ultimately the hospital does not budget for toys and games.
"We budget for bubbles and stickers," Mrs. Flowers said. "We always have bubbles that we routinely buy, and we always have stickers.
"(Toys) are not a necessity. The hospital isn't able to pay for the luxury items. We see toys as luxury items, but we also see them as really beneficial to take care of our kids."
Her plea, she says, is in part a "wish list" for the children but more so providing information for the caring public.
"We'd love for the community -- if they want to help -- a small, sweet toy for the kids especially this time of year," she said. "No one wants to be in the hospital, period, but no one wants to be here at Christmas. It happens now, and it happens in March, the same situations come up.
"Kids are constantly getting sick, and the nurses can't constantly be out buying toys. Although they do. That's the thing. They do. They're always bringing things in."
She recently asked the nursing staff to compile a list of preferred items for the toy chest, producing a list consisting of rattles, infant texture toys (taggies), toy key sets, toy phones, soft dolls, baby dolls, Barbie dolls, stuffed animals, princess accessories (toys, wands, crowns), trucks, cars and tractors (hand-sized or bigger), large Legos, puzzles, interactive books, PlayDoh, coloring books and crayons, stickers and sticker books and temporary tattoos.
Items must be new and unwrapped, preferably with limited parts and pieces.
The unit also needs a plastic mobile and Go-Pod, a plastic sound machine, light projector and video games for Playstation/Xbox and Wii.
Receiving support from the community is appreciated, Mrs. Flowers said.
"The nurses are so excited, they're so grateful," she said. "It really makes their job, not necessarily easier but it's nice to see the benefit to the patient."
To donate or arrange to drop off items, contact Mrs. Flowers at 919-731-6504 or summer.flowers@waynehealth.org.