Page 24 - Desert Lightning News 2-5-16

24 February 5, 2016
D-M Airmen make lily pads
Commentary by Master Sgt Jamie Harwick
355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron
TUCSON, Ariz. -- It can be hard having to
spend time in the hospital. There is the room
you aren’t familiar with, the tests while hospital pilot from the hospital take the prototype for a
staff try to find out what is wrong with you, and
the wires and needles you are stuck with. Then
there is the IV stand. For an adult, this can be
a daunting task; just getting up and moving
around can be difficult. Things that we take for
granted, like getting up to use the bathroom,
become a time consuming effort. Making sure
you don’t pull something out or get tangled.
Now imagine you are a child. Imagine being
their parent? You want to help take their mind
off of being in the hospital. Well, now you have
something extra in your toolbox.
After seeing a story about lily pads: a piece
of wood that is painted and placed on the base
of an IV stand that is used as a seat for a pa-
tient, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Craig Bailey, 355th
Equipment Maintenance Squadron command-
er, contacted one of his Senior NCOs to see
how hard it would be to replicate for the chil-
dren’s hospital here in town and if they would
want them. That is when things started rolling.
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shop, focus group responses indicated that
transition-related challenges, such as find-
We met with a child life specialist at the Dia- ing employment and adjusting to a change in
mond Children’s Center at Banner University family roles, could increase anxiety in mili-
Medical Center. We also reached out to a local tary children, possibly resulting in academic
woodworker, who helped develop the proto- or behavioral challenges, the officials said. The
type to make sure it would work right before Workshop’s materials emphasize communi-
mass production started. We even had a test cation throughout the transition process and
underscore the benefits of making new friends
spin to make sure it would work. and maintaining a positive attitude through
change, the officials said.
Airmen donated the lumber, tools, and time
to cut them all out and then Airmen assigned Rosemary Williams, the deputy assistant de-
to the 355th EMS and 355th Medical Group fense secretary for military community and
and their families decorated them. The Lily family policy, said the long-standing working
pads were decorated as superheroes, lady bugs, relationship with Sesame Workshop has great
cartoons and even an A-10s. After they were benefits for military families.
painted a clear coated was added for patients
with latex allergies and to help with cleaning “Their unique ability to translate difficult top-
and disinfecting after use. ics into language easily understood by children
and trusted by their parents is most unique,”
Airman from the 355th EMS created a rack Williams said. “These fun and engaging prod-
and design for the lily pads so the kids could ucts will only help military families as they ad-
pick out the pad they want without having to just to new changes with the same resilience that
go through a stack. marked their service to our nation.”
The pads were delivered on January 18, and The products can also be found at the Sesame
while a majority of the base was off for the Street for Military Families website and through
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, hospitals were still a mobile app available for Apple and Android
working and kids are still sick. It was the per- users under the same name, the officials said.
fect day to surprise kids and their parents.
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