A GENERAL HOSPITAL CHILD CARE PROGRAM TO COUNTERACT HOSPITALISM

This article presents an evaluation of a general hospital child care program to counteract hospitalism at the Department of Pediatrics and Contagious Diseases at Cleveland City Hospital. In July 1955, with the help of a grant from the Cleveland Foundation, the Child Life and Education Program was started. It deals with three services: 1) the General Pediatric and Surgical Division; 2) the Respirator Care and Rehabilitation Center for poliomyelitis patients; 3) the Preschool Unit for children recuperating from tuberculosis. The Child Life and Education Program contributes the nursery school teacher to the tuberculosis unit. The team approach in this unit has a different structure than on other hospital services. Since the challenge to the physicians is a minor one during the long and undramatic hospitalization, they are not the pivotal force in planning but rather the consultants to the others on the team. threefold division was natural: the social worker is the link with the family, and her skills are needed during the hospital stay, but particularly for discharge planning and follow-up. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)