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Microsoft Corp. & Companions in Courage Foundation Give Xbox 360 Kiosks to Young Patients at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at P/SL
DENVER, Oct 24, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --
Pediatric patients at Rocky Mountain
Hospital for Children (RMHC) in Denver today received new Xbox 360(TM) kiosks
to play with, thanks to a collaboration between Microsoft Corp. and the
Companions in Courage Foundation. RMHC is the only Colorado children's
hospital to receive the custom-built game units from the program.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081024/LAF046LOGO)
The Companions in Courage Foundation, started by hockey great Pat
LaFontaine, established the Lion's Den Kiosk program with Microsoft Corp.
Microsoft delivers the mobile game units to select children's hospitals to
provide interactive, fun entertainment as a respite for children battling
life-threatening illness.
"Microsoft is committed to keeping kids entertained in a variety of ways
within a safe gaming environment, so partnering with Companions in Courage to
offer children in hospitals a way to connect through something as universal as
games, is a natural fit for the work we do," said Microsoft President,
Entertainment and Devices Division, Robbie Bach. "The goal for this program is
to give these kids a chance to have some fun and just be kids."
Colorado Avalanche hockey greats Peter Budaj and Ruslan Salei broke in the
new game kiosks with pediatric patients today at RMHC.
"We are thrilled that Companions in Courage chose to help
HealthONE's Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children continue to improve the lives
of our patients and their families," said Reggie Washington, MD, chief medical
officer for RMHC. "It is wonderful to witness the joy and excitement of these
children and teens when they have a chance to break away from the normal
hospital routine and let kids be kids."
The customized and hospital-friendly Xbox 360 kiosks are pre-loaded with a
variety of E and E10+ rated games, Y-rated television programs, G-rated
movies, as well as Xbox LIVE Headset and LIVE Vision Camera capabilities,
which enable patients to communicate over a dedicated Xbox LIVE network, the
world's largest social network connected to television. This network was
created just for the Lion's Den Kiosk program and does not allow patients to
communicate with individuals outside the network -- only with those children
at other select hospitals around the country. The Xbox 360's parental
controls, known as Family Settings, will be used to help restrict access to
content outside of ratings parameters, as well as the times during which
patients can use the kiosks or consoles.
Companions in Courage founder and NHL Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine said,
"Entertainment, creativity and personal connections can be important factors
in alleviating some of the isolation and discomfort these children experience
each day. Xbox 360 offers young patients a fun escape through games, TV shows,
movies and positive interactions with others over the Xbox LIVE network. These
gaming stations are a perfect complement to our interactive Lion's Den
playrooms."
About Xbox 360
Xbox 360 is a superior video game and entertainment system delivering the
best games, unique entertainment features and a unified online gaming network
that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 has a portfolio of more than 300 games in
nearly 40 countries. More information can be found online at
http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.
About Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children
Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children (RMHC) is a regional resource for
specialty pediatric care founded nearly twenty years ago by private practice
pediatric specialists at HealthONE's Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center in
central Denver. It is home to the region's largest and most successful
high-risk maternity service and an 84-bed intensive care newborn nursery --
keeping mothers and babies together in the same hospital for optimal care.
RMHC will move into a new, $113 million pediatric facility opening on the P/SL
campus in 2010, expanding its pediatric services into a new 64-bed inpatient
unit and creating additional operating room and pediatric intensive care
areas.
RMHC's focus on patient care and quality monitoring extends throughout
HealthONE's family of hospitals to enhance existing services and bring
specialty care closer to patients in their home community. HealthONE
hospitals provided care to nearly 100,000 children in 2007 through inpatient
and outpatient services, making HealthONE the largest healthcare provider in
Metro Denver for adults and kids.
About Companions in Courage
The Companions in Courage Foundation was founded by NHL Hall of Famer Pat
LaFontaine in 1997. CiC builds interactive playrooms in hospitals throughout
North America. Through innovative communications tools, these "Lion's Den"
playrooms replace the isolation of a hospital with a connection to family,
friends and celebrities during each hospital stay.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services
and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
SOURCE Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children
http://www.RockyMountainHospitalforChildren.com
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