[September 01, 2015]

Hollywood Foreign Press Association® Awards $25,000 Grant to Children's Hospital Los Angeles to Expand Entertainment Industry's Role in Helping Heal Patients Through the Arts

During the recent star-studded Hollywood Foreign Press Association banquet, actress and Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) advocate Jamie Lee Curtis opened the evening with news that the hospital will receive a $25,000 grant in support of its Mark Taper-Johnny Mercer Artists program. Facilitated by certified expressive arts therapists and partners in the community, the program uses music, dance, drama and the expressive arts to address the unique physical and emotional challenges faced by hospitalized infants, children, teens and young adults.

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Certified Music Therapist Tacy Pillow (right) plays a tune to help a mother bond with her infant son in the hospital's Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit. All forms of expressive arts are used throughout the hospital to help patients physically and emotionally cope with hospitalization. The program partners with artists in the community, like those in Hollywood, to offer special activities to children and their families. (Photo: Business Wire)

Funds will specifically be used to engage entertainment industry professionals in the program, drawing upon their distinct skillset to inspire, encourage and help patients through their medical journey. The Artists Program will partner with CHLA's new Hollywood Cares for Kids™ program to facilitate new partnerships and volunteer opportunities. For example:

• Professional animators can teach young patients about communicating through the limitless world of cartoons;
• filmmakers can introduce young people to the power of narrative storytelling;
• writers and composers can help the shyest of patients find their inner voice through one-on-one song writing sessions with their music therapist;
• musical artists can provide private music performances and engage in art and music workshops.

"From writers to animators to musicians and actors, the entertainment community offers a wide array of expertise in their field that can also be a tremendous asset in helping children find their voice," said Lyndsay Hutchison, director, Hollywood Cares for Kids program. "Whether the child is an aspiring artist or just facing a very tough road ahead, having the chance to work with an industry professional brings a level of encouragement and renewed excitement that truly impacts their care. CHLA is the only hospital in the Hollywood community dedicated to children and has been for more than 113 years. This is one of the many ways in which Hollywood can become an active partner in making a difference for these children."

In addition to its emotional impact, the artists program has a physiological effect on children that contributes to healing. Research has shown that heart rates slow, blood pressure decreases, and the perception of pain declines when patients pick up a musical instrument, sing a song or see a live performance up close. In the hospital's Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit, staff have reported the slowing of heart and pulse rates in premature infants upon the first musical note they hear, and mothers have found a new way to bond with babies they cannot yet hold by simply singing to them. At CHLA, the arts are indispensable to the therapeutic process, facilitating recovery and rehabilitation.

Established in 1901 as Southern California's first hospital dedicated to the care of children, Children's Hospital Los Angeles has grown alongside the Hollywood community for more than a century. In fact, CHLA moved to its current main campus on Sunset and Vermont in 1913, the same year the very first movie was filmed right down the street in Hollywood.

Today, Children's Hospital Los Angeles is a leading nonprofit hospital for kids, ranked seventh in the nation and serving more than 107,000 patients annually from Los Angeles county and around the globe. CHLA provides specialized, compassionate care and services for everything that can affect a child or adolescent, from broken bones to the rarest diseases; from homelessness to gender non-conformity. CHLA is also a premier teaching and research hospital with more than 150 physician scientists hard at work to end the most devastating childhood disorders.

In the last fiscal year, our Artists Program impacted the lives of over 24,000 patients and family members. The program runs year-round, seven days per week, and can be found in individual patient rooms, group play areas and lounges, lobbies and even hallways of every floor. With a commitment to family-centered care, CHLA engages parents and caregivers in every stage of treatment. Parents can roll up their sleeves and cut-and-paste with their children, pick up an instrument, or simply sit back and enjoy a performance.

Members of the entertainment industry can learn more about artist program volunteer opportunities by emailing Alexandra Field at [email protected] or call 323-361-4555.

Visit CHLA.org/ARTISTPROGRAM and CHLA.org/HOLLYWOODCARES for more information.

About Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been named the best children's hospital in California and among the top five in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Children's Hospital is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. Children's Hospital is also one of America's premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation since 1932 with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

For more information, visit CHLA.org. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn, or visit our blog: WeAreChildrens.org.

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