LONG ISLAND, NY – St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children will be taking part in the Long Island Nets Annual Education Day game, with a field trip for several inpatient children as well as young adults from St. Mary’s Medical Day Healthcare Program. This will be the first field trip for inpatient children at St. Mary’s since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the hospital’s safety precautions. The game will be on Tuesday, March 7th at 11:00 a.m. at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (1255 Hempstead Tpke, Uniondale, NY 11553).
As the only provider of pediatric long-term and rehabilitative care in New York City, St. Mary’s provides high-quality care to New York’s most critically ill and injured children—regardless of a family’s ability to pay. This field trip will include inpatient children from the Healing Arts & Therapeutic Recreation Program and outpatient young adults from the Medical Day Healthcare Program.
“There is nothing better than seeing the joy on a child’s face when they get to enjoy a special experience like this field trip, which we haven’t been able to offer our inpatient children for the past three years due to COVID-19,” said Carlos Sanchez, Therapeutic Recreation Lead at St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children. “We are so grateful to the Long Island Nets for generously including our patients and staff in this incredible event!”
St. Mary’s Healing Arts & Therapeutic Recreation Program offers medically approved recreational activities for patients, where trained therapeutic recreation specialists design activities to help patients develop interpersonal relationships, socialize effectively and gain the confidence to participate in group activities. The programs are tailored to each child’s specific needs and capabilities in an effort to help them cope with symptoms, stress or traumatic experiences. The Medical Day Healthcare Program for young adults provides participants with therapeutic and rehabilitation services that focuses on generating life skills and improving independence in the community, improving their overall quality of life.