Hospitals Urge Support For Pediatric Comfort, Activity Supplies In New London

NEW LONDON, CT — Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and Westerly Hospital are asking community members to help restock pediatric comfort and activity supplies used in their emergency departments.

The hospitals are hosting a donation drive through the end of February to collect new, unused items that help reduce anxiety and provide distraction for children receiving care or accompanying an adult patient. Donations can be dropped off in each hospital’s cafeteria.

Requested items include crayons, coloring and activity books, stickers, small fidget toys, sensory or stress-relief items, and small toys appropriate for infants through early teens. All donated items must be new and unused.

“Our staff want to provide the best possible care to children, while making sure they feel safe and secure,” Dr. Craig Mittleman, chair of emergency medicine at Lawrence + Memorial and Westerly hospitals, said in a statement. He said items such as toys and books help create a more child-friendly environment and can ease stress during procedures.

Lawrence + Memorial operates the region’s only dedicated Pediatric Emergency Program, which provides emergency care for patients from infancy through age 21. The program is staffed by physicians trained in pediatric emergency medicine and pediatric-trained nurses, and operates daily from 3 to 11 p.m. The hospital’s main emergency department is open to children and adults 24 hours a day.