Celebrating 10 Years of the Child Life Zone at the Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai
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’re 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 3
- 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 5
- 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 System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the nation’s leading integrated academic health systems and one of the largest in the New York metropolitan area. Its comprehensive system includes seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, over 600 research and clinical laboratories, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing. Together, the Health System comprises approximately 48,000 employees, more than 9,000 physicians, and 8,600 nurses.
As a leading learning health system, Mount Sinai combines clinical expertise with scientific discovery to improve patient care while training the next generation of health care and biomedical leaders. The Health System provides care across every stage of life, from prenatal care through geriatrics, while advancing personalized medicine through artificial intelligence, data science, and biomedical research.
Mount Sinai is consistently recognized among the nation’s leading academic health systems for patient care, research, and education. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 1 in New York by Newsweek and No. 5 on the magazine’s World’s Best Hospitals list. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ranks No. 11 among U.S. medical schools and No. 1 among freestanding medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding, reflecting the strength of its scientific enterprise and leadership in biomedical research.