Supporting Families of Hospitalized Children
When a child is hospitalized, the stress on the family can be
enormous. To help support families of children in its care,
Miami Children’s offers a network of support services ranging
from lodging near the hospital to free meals and special
services to reduce stress.
• Miami Children’s Devonshire Apartments feature 20
apartment units located two blocks from the hospital.
Units are made available to families from beyond
Miami-Dade County at minimal cost.
• Free meals from the hospital’s cafeteria are made available
to disadvantaged families of hospitalized children.
• Taxi vouchers are made available to provide transportation
for disadvantaged families.
• Free parking is offered in the hospital’s parking garage and
a free shuttle service helps families navigate the campus.
• Miami Children’s features a full-service family resource
center. The Michael Fux Family Center offers amenities,
including laundry services, a movie theater, business
center, library, exercise room, kitchen, children’s art and
video center, showers and lockers, a breastfeeding room,
massage and hair services, and an ongoing calendar of
activities including scrapbook-making, classes on health
topics and other diversions for patients and their families.
All services are offered to families without charge.
• Educational tools, internet access, a hospital guide
and numerous entertainment options are available to
hospitalized patients and their families through the
GetWellNetwork
®
. Options available include movies
on demand, a variety of television channels, games,
storytelling and music as well as tools for sharing
information about the family’s needs, expectations and
satisfaction with services.
• Miami Children’s offers several play rooms and teen rooms
to enhance the care experience for children and families.
The hospital’s large play room includes an outdoor screen-
enclosed area. Two teen rooms are furnished with teen-
friendly equipment.
• Specially trained therapy dogs and their owners visit
children at the hospital several times per week.
• The Big Apple Circus
SM
Clown Care program brings
laughter and joy to the bedsides of hospitalized children.
• Child Life Specialists are available to help children
understand what to expect while they are in the hospital,
provide them with ways to normalize the environment
through coping and distraction, and facilitate play and
interaction with other hospitalized children. These
specialists also help children and families become
familiar with the hospital prior to admission, and provide
instruction about the diagnosis and pending treatments.
Community Benefits
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