Early 1950s
Methodist Church begins operating
the hospital, opening care to residents
of the region
1952
Population of Richland
27,000
The magic of
red wagons
and Big Wheels
HOSPITALS CAN BE
unsettling
places for kids under the best of
circumstances, but for children
about to undergo surgery, it can be
downright scary.
However, Kadlec, with the support
of Kadlec Foundation, has developed a
program to help make surgery a little
less worrisome for kids.
The program got started when Child
Life Specialist Rachel Puklin worked
with children before surgery.
“Putting on a mask, being wheeled
away on a stretcher, and leaving their
parents can all be scary,” she said.
“They went into surgery upset, and
then would come out upset. I began
to work on how to make surgery a
better experience for our pediatric
patients.”
Tracy Hasty, Kadlec’s Preadmission
and Perianesthesia Units manager, also
recognized the importance of helping
children prior to surgery.
“Children feel as if they have no
control when they have surgery, and
this can be very upsetting,” she said.
“Through this new program, we want
to give them as many choices as we can
and make the surgery experience more
child friendly.”
Comforting care
Now, when the child arrives for
surgery, Puklin meets with him or her
ahead of time. She helps the child pick
a scented essential oil that goes inside
the surgical mask, so they smell that
scent when the mask is put on.
“The child may choose from several
scents such as strawberry, root beer or
bubblegum,” she said. “The child then
can decorate the mask with stickers.
We make it fun.”
The child can pick out a colorful
surgery hat, which was made for this
purpose by Kadlec Auxiliary.
Puklin shows the child pictures
of the operating room, so he or she
knows a little more what to expect. She
has teaching dolls, which she uses to
explain what is ahead for the child. She
talks to the child about deep breathing,
about what is the child’s job in surgery
and what the nurse’s job is.
She also uses an iPad and portable
DVD players with child-appropriate
DVDs to create a fun distraction.
Before heading into surgery,
the child can decide how he or she
wants to go — pulled in a red wagon,
peddling a Big Wheel tricycle or even
riding on the traditional stretcher.
All the while, Puklin is building a
relationship with the child, and she
accompanies the child into surgery.
“The parent cannot go in, which can
upset a child, but I go with them, and
that helps the child because they have
come to trust me.”
A group e ort
Implementing the program has
taken a team approach, including the
help of the entire operating room sta .
For instance, said Puklin, “We now
schedule children’s surgeries rst thing
in the morning whenever possible. We
work together to make this happen.
Everyone has embraced the idea.”
Parents are seeing the di erence,
too, said Puklin. “It’s hard when your
child has surgery, but it helps when
a child is less anxious. We have seen
it over and over again. This program
is good for children, and it’s good for
parents,” she said.
1950
A new programmade possible by Kadlec Foundation donors
helps take away some of the anxiety children feel before surgery
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