Heart Institute Wellness Program
The psychosocial and developmental challenges of being diagnosed with a heart condition are sometimes overlooked in traditional medical treatment . That ’ s where the Heart Institute ’ s Wellness Program comes in . Our team of multidisciplinary experts helps patients and families find healthy ways to cope with and adapt to living with a heart condition . Our goal is to provide ideas , time , space and resources that help patients thrive while they undergo medical treatment , and long after . It takes a village , and we have one .
• Social workers help families cope with the social , financial and psychological needs associated with heart conditions .
• Child life specialists utilize therapeutic play , ageappropriate education and coping techniques to help patients and their families adjust to the hospital or clinic setting and cope with chronic illness and treatments .
• Medical dogs help comfort children and assist with treatment goals .
• Pediatric psychologists provide assessment , consultation and interventions to support overall mental health and well-being .
• Chaplains provide support to children and families of all spiritual outlooks .
• Music therapists use music to provide psychosocial , developmental , rehabilitative and physiological support to patients and their families during inpatient stays .
• Learning services specialists are trained to evaluate a child ’ s academic needs and provide learning support services to individuals as well as small groups of children , informed by the most current knowledge and advancements in the fields of learning and learning disabilities .
One of the best ways to heal emotionally and physically is in community . That ’ s why our cardiac community events are so important and so well-attended . Three of our largest events in 2023 were a family day at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs during the summer , a pumpkin patch at Anderson Farms in Erie , Colorado during the fall , and a Zoo Lights event at the Denver Zoo in early winter .
Click here to learn more about the Wellness Program at Children ’ s Colorado .
30 Children ' s Hospital Colorado Heart Institute