RMH Kid's Day program advocates a healthy lifestyle for children

A carnival atmosphere will take over FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital on Saturday, May 20, when the hospital holds its 10th annual Kids’ Day program.

A special event for and about children, Kids’ Day began as an offshoot of Wellness Screening Day, a program that has been a mainstay of the hospital’s community outreach effort for more than 20 years.

“We mix a multitude of basic children’s health checks with fun and games,” says RMH President John Jackson.

Traditionally held in September, the Kids’ Day program will move to spring this year in an attempt to avoid conflicts with fall activities. It’s the job of Nancy Caulder, the hospital’s clinical practice coordinator, to set the Kids’ Day wheels in motion.

“We think the new date will be advantageous because, in the past, we have been up against the opening of the soccer program and other activities,” she says.

The first Kids’ Day event was held in 1997. When members of the hospital’s management staff proposed the program, they had no idea about the response they would get.

“We attracted between 500 and 600 kids that first year,” says Caulder. “With such a good reaction by the community, it became an annual event.”

Several hundred children now look forward to participating in Kids’ Day activities every year. With those numbers, the hospital’s staff has been challenged to keep pace by adding new components to the event.

Health screenings and more
Cindy McNeill-McDonald, the hospital’s chief operating officer and chief nursing officer, has the ultimate responsibility for Kids’ Day. In addition to medical screenings, she points out, the emphasis is on prevention and safety. Everything from immunizations to safe play, bicycle safety, car seat safety, and even a hand-washing game that teaches children the proper method and time span for washing their hands is included in the line-up of activities.

Although a relative newcomer to Kids’ Day, McDonald, who took her position at RichmondMemorial Hospital a little more than a year ago, heartily subscribes to the concept. “I think kids should have fun, and that is what we try to provide for them during this special day,” she says. “I work with the staff to make sure that each and every child has a great time.”

The focus on safety is very much a concern for Amy Hamilton, who has been actively involved in Kids’ Day planning and execution for eight years. FirstHealth’s outreach manager for Community Health Services in Richmond County, Hamilton has seen the event evolve and change.

“It has grown noticeably,” she says, “and it runs more smoothly each time we put it on.”

Hamilton credits the cooperation of outside organizations in making Kids’ Day the success that it has become. “They make a big event even larger and more meaningful, and we appreciate the help of our outside community partners,” she says.

Elements that have been added as Kids’ Day has grown include a checkpoint where parents can have their child’s car seat inspected. At the 2005 Kids’ Day, bike helmets were offered to children at cost and trained volunteers made sure they were fitted properly.

An always-popular activity involves the making of kids’ ID cards, an outgrowth of the national movement to locate and identify missing children.

“We have the parent complete the ID card with information such as name, sex, birth date, eye color and hair color,” says Caulder. “Then the card is handed off to someone who does height and weight, usually someone from Home Health or nursing students from Richmond Community College. From there, the child moves on to a representative of the Rockingham Police Department for fingerprinting and then has his photo made. After that, we laminate the card and give it to the parent. It’s one of our biggest draws.”

A recent change relates to the type of refreshments served at Kids’ Day. In the past, youngsters were treated to punch and cotton candy, but FirstHealth’s inclusion in a major grant program that emphasizes healthy eating caused Kids’ Day organizers to take a second look at the usual sweets.

The result, according to Hamilton, was the inception of a fruit bar taste-testing station where children—with the help of their parents—could try fruits that they had never tasted before.

“Instead of punch, we served fruit smoothies and handed out recipes showing the parents how easy it is to make a really healthy drink as a substitute for soda,” Hamilton says.

The Richmond County Asthma Task Force provided another recent addition to the Kids’ Day program by handing out information packets on childhood asthma. Masoud Ahdieh, M.D., a Richmond County pediatrician, conducted asthma screenings.

Charlotte McNeill, the nurse practitioner in Dr. Ahdieh’s office, has taken part in Kids’ Day programs for several years. “The event is an important day to let children know how much we, as adults, value their ideas, energy and enthusiasm for life,” she says.

That enthusiasm spills over in good measure every year. “The big draw for kids is always the fire engines, but the youngsters also receive a simple toy or get to play a game at every point in the event, which makes having their ears tested by Dr. Shamsul Khan, or getting a shot, a pleasant experience,” Caulder says.

Jackson, too, is amazed by the continuing growth of Kids’ Day and takes pride in “a great team that puts the event together.”

“About 50 employees of the hospital take part in the planning process, as well as the set-up, security, actual screenings and booths,” he says. “I am one of its strongest supporters, and believe it is a fine example of the hospital giving back to the community.”