TRAFFIC ALERT: The west side of the Parkview Place intersection at Lakeland Hills Boulevard is under construction causing delays.
Learn More
Schedule an Appointment

Child Life Specialists

At Lakeland Regional Health, we know that bringing a child to the hospital can be stressful for the entire family. Our child life specialists are important members of the multidisciplinary team and are available for support to help children and their families have a more positive experience during their hospital visit.

Child life specialists are healthcare professionals who empower children and families to overcome challenging events related to healthcare and hospitalization.  The care provided by child life specialists is based on careful assessment of the needs of each individual child and family.  We seek to promote optimal coping and development with a focus on family-centered care. 

Child life specialists may offer support by providing:

  • Developmentally appropriate education on diagnoses and treatment plans  
  • Preparation for procedures, tests, and surgery  
  • Support during procedures through the use of distraction, comfort holds, and other coping techniques 
  • Normalization of the healthcare environment through play and age appropriate activities 
  • Support for siblings and children of adult patients  
  • Individualized interventions, legacy building activities, and resources to help families and children cope with grief and loss  
BRAVE – Our Sensory Friendly Program for Pediatric Patients

BRAVE is a program at Lakeland Regional Health that is dedicated to helping children with autism spectrum disorder and sensory processing disorder have a more positive hospital experience. For more information on the BRAVE program, please click here. 

Donations

We appreciate your interest in supporting our pediatric patients at Lakeland Regional Health.  Donations help create a safer and more enjoyable environment and are used year-round to provide therapeutic activities and programming that help minimize stress for children in the hospital.  Our donation guidelines can be found here. You may also donate needed items at any time by visiting our Amazon Wish List. 

 

To schedule a donation, please contact our child life team at 863.687.1100, ext. 1692 or 2424, or childlifefund@myLRH.org. This will guarantee that a team member is available to assist you. Thank you!

Child Life Practicum

Our child life team offers a minimum 100-hour child life practicum experience every semester. This practicum is designed to provide child life students the opportunity to shadow a Certified Child Life Specialist while learning more about the field of child life and working with hospitalized children. If you would like to apply, please complete the practicum application. 

If you have any questions, our child life specialists can be reached by phone at 863.687.1100 ext. 2424 or by emailing us at childlifefund@mylrh.org.