SOUTH TEXAS HEALTH SYSTEM CHILDREN’S HOSTING SPECIAL EVENT TO SHOWCASE COLORING BOOK DESIGNED EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE HOSPITAL’S PEDIATRIC PATIENTS BY THE SCULPTURE CLUB AT UTRGV
Aside from presenting their designs, students will participate in a coloring activity with hospitalized patients, allowing them to spotlight the effort put into this heartfelt initiative
A hospital stay can be an extremely stressful experience, especially for children. In an unfamiliar environment, it’s easy for a child to overthink and panic. Those emotions can lead to anxiety, which can cause decreased appetite, sleep disturbances and even exacerbate fears.
Fortunately, the Child Life Program at South Texas Health System Children’s helps alleviate stress in hospitalized children through a myriad of initiatives that focus on the emotional, social and developmental well-being of hospitalized children. One of the most effective programs is the is art therapy curriculum conducted in partnership with the Auxiliary to South Texas Health System, which provides a slew of creative bedside and playroom activities for the patients in the hospital’s care.
Since art can help prevent negative emotions and provide an effective outlet for feelings like stress and fear, STHS Children’s has partnered with the Sculpture Club, a student run organization at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, to develop a special coloring book that will be used as part of the facility’s art therapy program.
“This book is a passion project for our talented students,” says Lilia Cabrera, MA, Lecturer, School of Art & Design, College of Fine Arts, UTRGV, who serves as the club’s advisor. “The initiative models the beautiful efforts that multiple artists have gradually worked on over the years for the patients of STHS Children’s. This labor of love expands on those art therapy sessions we’ve hosted at the facility in a massive way, allowing all future patients to reduce their anxiety while harnessing their creativity.”
Inspired by the safari-themed design at STHS Children’s and the hospital’s monkey mascot Eddie, My Animal Friends Coloring Book celebrates the wondrous animal kingdom. Along with coloring pages that display goats, tortoises, giraffes and other animals, the 28-page bilingual coloring book also features drawing activities, a word search and an I Spy activity.
“This book is meant to be interactive but, aside from that, we hope patients can take it with them and reflect on the creative outlet we were able to offer,” says Cabrera.
To officially launch the coloring book, STHS Children’s will partner with the Sculpture Club at UTRGV, to host a special presentation on Saturday, November 30, at 11:00 a.m. in the hospital’s main lobby. The artists, all current or former students of UTRGV, will be on hand to discuss the inspiration for their pages.
Following the program, the students will distribute the coloring books to the first batch of patients in the hospital’s care and gather with them in the hospital’s third floor pediatric playroom to create beautifully therapeutic art.
“STHS Children’s is grateful to the Sculpture Club’s talented members for creating a coloring book that will surely be loved by the patients in our care,” says Tom Castañeda, System Director of Marketing & Public Relations, South
Texas Health System. “We can’t wait to see the young patients in our care embrace their creativity with this beautifully therapeutic coloring book!”
To learn more about the Sculpture Club, visit https://www.utrgv.edu/csi/studentorganizations/index.htm. For more on the Child Life Program at STHS Children’s, visit www.southtexashealthsystemchildrens.com.
Who: South Texas Health System Children’s & Sculpture Club at UTRGV
What: My Animal Friends Coloring Book Launch & Coloring Activity
When: Saturday, November 30, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Where: Main Lobby & Third Floor Pediatric Playroom South Texas Health System Children’s 1102 W. Trenton Rd. Edinburg, TX. 78539
About South Texas Health System
About South Texas Health System South Texas Health System is a multi-facility healthcare system serving patients throughout the Rio Grande Valley. The system includes four acute care facility campuses with specialties in pediatrics, heart and vascular services, maternity and women’s health and trauma services. Inpatient and outpatient treatment for behavioral health needs and addictive disorders is also provided through the system's South Texas Health System Behavioral facility. South Texas Health System is affiliated with the South Texas Clinical Partners ACO, Prominence Health Plan, and Cornerstone Regional Hospital. The system operates an advanced Level I Trauma Center at South Texas Health System McAllen, the first and only freestanding children’s facility and pediatric ER at South Texas Health System Children’s, the region’s only freestanding heart hospital and specialized cardiac ER at South Texas Health System Heart, and seven freestanding emergency rooms located in and around Weslaco, Mission, Edinburg, McAllen and Alamo. For more information about the system and its comprehensive services, please visit www.southtexashealthsystem.com.
