Community News: Baltimore Magazine praises MWPH, hospital staff and volunteers share experiences

Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital was recently named one of the top 25 "Best Places to Work" by Baltimore Magazine. Loyola students work with the welcoming staff for a unique, hands-on volunteer experience.

Around 50 Loyola students volunteer there every semester and can work with two age groups: infants or adolescents. In the adolescent group, volunteers assist in rehabilitation goals and socializing while in the infant group, they work on touch therapy and developmental milestones. Before starting, each volunteer goes through six weeks of training to work with therapists, assess their strengths and see patients together.

The volunteer recruitment coordinator at MWPH, Angie Wenman, is impressed by the volunteers' time commitment, compassion and love for children. "Without them, we couldn't possibly help all the children we do on a daily basis," she said.

Senior Rebecca Sciliano is in her second semester with MWPH. As a biology major who wants to work in pediatrics in the future, she thought the hospital was a good fit. She works with infants and said her responsibilities include stimulating developmental growth while playing and helping face-to-face recognition. "Most of the day they are just lying in their crib. It's our job to make them realize people want to play with them," she said.

Senior Sarah Keenan, the service coordinator at the Center for Community Service and Justice, said the amount of responsibility given to volunteers is "pretty remarkable" and that the opportunity for this kind of work is rare and really important for students to have.

Sophomore Samantha Dizon helps patients to reach short-term goals like identifying shapes and colors, or improving social skills. "These goals seem simple and uncomplicated to master, but in reality it is a struggle to overcome these hurdles while battling medical issues simultaneously," she said. For Dizon, accomplishing a goal with her patient and seeing the resulting smiles makes the effort worthwhile.

Keenan said the staff does a great job of being there as support for the volunteers, and the staff expressed their enjoyment in working at MWPH. Wenman said the environment is "nurturing and positive" which makes it bright and inviting to patients, volunteers and staff members.

A certified child life specialist at the hospital, Megan Greffen, agreed with Baltimore Magazine because of her unique experiences with patients, having the "privilege to really see them progress and develop." Greffen's work includes providing psychological care and improving developmental milestones for babies in the Child Life and Therapeutic Recreation department. Most hospitals do not have that relationship with patients because they stay for such a short amount of time.

The hospital recently underwent a renovation that improved the rooms and halls to make it kid and family friendly. The walls are painted with flowers and trees, and each child's room has its own mailbox. Dizon said the new environment is "lively and bright, great for recovery and healing." She said this helps encourage the neighborhood of kids on the unit.

Walking in the front door, Keenan is often greeted by security guards willing to strike up a conversation. She said everyone says hi to each other throughout the building, which helps to make volunteers feel comfortable in a demanding hospital setting.

Sciliano said that when she went home over winter break, she realized, after she saw her aunt's new baby, that people often take a healthy child for granted. "Her baby was moving her head at just three days old, and a lot of kids at MWPH can't do that," she said.

Although it is challenging to see the medical and emotional efforts the patients go through, Greffen and both Loyola volunteers agreed that making sure the babies reach milestones is most important. Sciliano said the smiles that she sees on the babies' faces make the entire experience more worthwhile.

Making those smiles happen is the result of the ministry of presence, which Keenan said plays an imperative role in the volunteers' role. "Without feedback and interaction [from patients who don't respond], it can be frustrating for volunteers. But just being with the volunteers does mean a lot," said Keenan.

Greffen agreed and added that the hospital could not offer that amount of care if it wasn't for the volunteers. She works with them on a daily basis and has "enjoyed seeing them develop such positive relationships with the patients."

Those relationships, according to Sciliano, helps people put aside the fact that the patients are sick and realize they are simply children, which is "what they should be."

"At the end of my service time, I feel I have laughed, played and made new friends," said Dizon.