SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) - A Canadian foundation and the Saginaw Spirit have teamed up to put a smile on the faces of children requiring treatment at Covenant HealthCare.
The first of three “Smilezones” - and the only so far in the U.S. - was unveiled Tuesday morning in the Covenant Emergency Care Center waiting room in Saginaw. Its purpose, according to those involved, is to give kids a bit of respite through colorful murals and several iPads implemented in the waiting room.
“It’s a tremendous gift,” said Covenant HealthCare president and CEO Ed Bruff. “It allows kids a place to play and relax their anxiety. A smile makes a hard day a little easier.”
The Saginaw News (https://bit.ly/2ip4X3J ) reports that in the next six to nine months, two more Smilezones will be in place in Covenant HealthCare’s rehabilitation facility and pediatric ward, Bruff said.
Saginaw Spirit president Craig Goslin heard about what the Smilezone Foundation was doing for kids in Ontario and approached members of the foundation to bring a Smilezone to Covenant HealthCare.
Through the fundraising efforts of the Saginaw Spirit Charitable Foundation and the Smilezone Foundation, the two organizations were able to gift Covenant HealthCare with three Smilezones.
It took nearly a year to form a U.S. Smilezone Foundation counterpart, but it was worth it, foundation chair Scott Bachly said. Bachly said it was the “spirit” of Saginaw which drew him here and that, of all the hospitals he’s worked with, Covenant HealthCare’s staff is “second to none.”
After having two premature babies and having to follow-up after their birth with physical therapy, Saginaw resident Jason Patterson said he’s been in-and-out of Covenant HealthCare facilities for awhile now.
“Covenant has been a large part of their life,” Patterson said. “(The Smilezone) offers kids something to do when they’re just sitting here.”
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Information from: The Saginaw News, https://www.mlive.com/saginaw
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