Clara Maass Hospital Gets $15K Grant From Dunkin’ Joy Foundation

BELLEVILLE, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of Clara Maass Medical Center. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Clara Maass Medical Center (CMMC), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, has received a $15,000 grant from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation to create safe and joyful environments for CMMC’s pediatric patients to promote healing and wellbeing. The grant will allow CMMC to add 29 chalkboard walls further advancing artistic expression in a child-friendly environment. The mission of the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation is to provide joy to kids who are battling hunger or illness.

CMMC serves over 600 pediatric patients annually. The Medical Center’s recent Emergency Department renovations have created a peaceful and calming environment that is welcoming to children and their families. Funding from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation enables CMMC to continue to provide a safe and relaxing environment through art therapy.

“Visiting the hospital can be scary for young children and their families. Meeting the needs for security, comfort, and age-appropriate activities are critical to a child's well­being, development, successful treatment and medical care,” said Mary Ellen Clyne, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Clara Maass Medical Center. “The grant from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation allows us to create a more positive experience for our pediatric patients so families can focus on what matters during their visit, their child’s health.”

The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood grant will support the addition of 23 magnetic chalkboard walls to pediatric observation and emergency department rooms, with an additional 6 magnetic chalkboards added to behavioral health rooms for art therapy and artistic expression. According to the American Art Therapy Association, artistic expression may decrease anxiety, feelings of anger and depression. The chalkboard walls serve as a fun diversion for pediatric patients and their siblings while at Clara Maass and provide another way for clinical staff to communicate with the patient and family and help track a child’s pain level and feelings. For children who do not feel well enough to get out of bed CMMC provides each child with their own personal chalkboard to keep. The grant also allows for the expansion of child-friendly TV channels at the Medical Center, including Spanish cartoon channels to meet the needs of the hospital’s diverse and largely Latino community.

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