The Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Program at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital has received a generous grant from The Toy Foundation to expand its innovative Sensory Program, increasing access to critical emotional and sensory support for young patients and families across the hospital.
The Sensory Program, launched in 2024 with support from The Toy Foundation, provides specialized tools and therapeutic play interventions designed to soothe and de-escalate patients experiencing fear, pain, anxiety, or sensory overload during hospitalization. By creating calming, supportive environments, the program helps patients better cope with medical procedures while improving the overall family experience.
With this new grant, Miller Children’s & Women’s will expand the program into three high-need areas of the hospital: Nightengales’ Infusion Center, the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute, and the Cherese Mari Laulhere Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). In these settings, patients often undergo prolonged and complex treatments, making sensory-based interventions especially critical.
The funding will also strengthen Miller Children’s & Women’s ability to rapidly deploy sensory support in the event of a mass casualty incident, ensuring young patients affected by traumatic events receive immediate emotional care and stabilization.
“Our pediatric patients are often facing some of the most difficult, traumatic moments of their lives,” said Rita Goshert, director, Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Program, Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital. “The support from The Toy Foundation this year, and in previous years, has been key in allowing us to launch and expand this program to meet their unique emotional and sensory needs in a meaningful way, helping them feel safer, calmer, and more in control throughout their care.”
The expanded program will include additional mobile sensory stations, sensory toys, and interactive equipment designed to reduce stress and support positive coping. These tools enable Child Life specialists and trained care teams to tailor interventions to each patient’s developmental level and individual needs, delivering more personalized and effective care.
Serving nearly 2.5 million residents across Long Beach and surrounding communities, many of whom face significant socioeconomic and environmental challenges, Miller Children’s & Women’s continues to see rising demand for behavioral health and sensory-informed care. This grant will help expand access to the Sensory Program, ensuring more patients and their families receive the specialized support they need.
“We are deeply grateful to The Toy Foundation for its continued partnership in advancing this work,” said Rob Gunsalus, president, Memorial Medical Center Foundation. “Their investment helps set a foundation for broader community support as we look to expand access to this critical care model.”