USA Funds Helps Patients at Phoenix Children’s Hospital Keep Up With Schoolwork

When Stuart Dickinson checks into the Phoenix Children’s Hospital, there’s more on his mind than his health. Because Dickinson has cystic fibrosis, he’s been in and out of hospitals for years. Like many other young patients at Phoenix Children’s who suffer from chronic illnesses, his health affects every aspect of his life — including his schoolwork.

“It’s hard enough to miss a day or two of school due to the flu or a minor illness,” said Lori Schweighart, a child-life specialist at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. “But for some kids, their illnesses and injuries are chronic, requiring multiple hospitalizations for several weeks to several months at a time.”

To address the educational needs of school-aged patients who have acute illnesses or are isolated in their rooms, on March 16 USA Funds^® presented Phoenix Children’s Hospital with a prototype of a mobile classroom designed especially to allow hospitalized children to continue their studies.

“Because promotion of education is our primary focus, we have a special concern for children who are hospitalized for extended periods,” said Henry Fernandez, USA Funds executive director of scholarships, outreach and philanthropy. “We want to ensure that they are able to keep up with their schoolwork and that they don’t fall behind their fellow students because of a hospital stay.”

The multimedia cart — which is decorated with imagery featuring Garfield, the comic-strip cat — was designed to be a link between school and the hospital. It includes a laptop, printer, school supplies, Internet access and other media tools.

“This mobile classroom brings the components necessary for a teaching environment right to a child’s bedside,” said Tiffany Garcia, a teacher at Phoenix Children’s “One Darn Cool School,” the hospital’s regular classroom. “Kids can get homework help by e-mailing hospital teaching staff, their school teachers and fellow classmates. It conquers communication challenges and encourages kids to not only complete their schoolwork, but stay connected with friends and family.”

Phoenix Children’s Hospital staff members will work for about two months with the cart prototype and make suggestions to USA Funds for modifications. USA Funds will provide feedback and recommendations to its designer, Carlos Sosa, and deliver two additional carts around June 1.

According to educators at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, future versions of the mobile classroom may allow them to establish connections from the hospital’s classroom to patients who are unable to leave their rooms, and to facilitate virtual visits between patients and their younger siblings who, during certain times of the year, are too young to visit the hospital because of a common respiratory virus. The cart also will allow patients to connect with their home schools, participate in lectures, and communicate with peers and teachers from their hospital rooms.

USA Funds also plans to fund the development of similar carts for hospitals in Indiana, Louisiana and Florida.

USA Funds serves as the designated guarantor of federal education loans for the state of Arizona. USA Funds’ donation of the mobile classrooms to Phoenix Children’s Hospital helps commemorate the 25th anniversary of USA Funds’ service as Arizona’s student-loan guarantor.