Firemen and Heroes at Brooklyn Chest Hospital

Firemen are heroes for many children. Last month at the Brooklyn Chest Hospital, the children’s ward had a visit from some real life firemen from the Brooklyn Fire Department – a project made possible by the heroic work of TB/HIV Care Association’s paediatric project and The Fire Department’s Education Division.

Bright red fire engines are a hit with kids everywhere. So when the Brooklyn Fire Department generously donated their time to give the children at the Brooklyn Chest Hospital a day of fire safety information, fireman helmets and of course, rides in the fire engine; they received a heroes’ welcome.

The initiative served the dual purpose of educating the children about fire prevention as well as giving them some welcome entertainment during the lull of the school holidays. It also builds on the work TB/HIV Care Association is doing to encourage early childhood development for children who need to stay in hospital for the duration of their TB treatment – whether because they live in an area without a nearby clinic, or because a family member who has TB is not on treatment.

For children of school-going age who are hospitalised, there is a hospital school to ensure they keep up to date with their education. But for children of pre-school age and younger, there is often a gap in facilities. Nurses are sometimes too busy to be able to provide the one-on-one interaction and human touch that small children thrive on, so the TB HIV Care Association has employed two educare teachers to bridge the gap. These educare teachers provide structured play sessions to stimulate the children’s minds and bodies.

So when the Brooklyn Fire Department comes to visit, there are many heroes to salute – the firefighters, the hospital staff, the TB/HIV Care Association educare teachers, and the children themselves.

Sources
TB/HIV Care Association 021 425 0050 www.tbhivcare.org