The Walt Disney Company will commit $100 million over the next five years to help reinvent the experience of children's hospitals around the world, Disney CEO and Chairman Bob Iger said on March 7.
Iger made the announcement at Texas Children's Hospital.
Though hospitals worldwide will benefit from the initiative, Texas Children's will be the first to work with the company.
"We chose Texas Children's Hospital because they are global leaders in pediatric care as well as the largest children's hospital in the country and their dedicated healers share our commitment to support the emotional well being of young patients and their families," Iger said.
Iger said that the company has also assembled a Team of Heroes, which is a group of patient care experts to help Disney understand various aspects of the patient experience such as what causes the most stress for parents.
"We're going to use our beloved characters and renown creativity to bring our timeless stories to life in innovative ways and hopefully transform a hospital stay into a warmer, more personalized environment for each patient," Iger said during the announcement.
Texas Children's Hospital also presented Iger with a special picture.
Commissioned by Walt Disney himself, it's a depiction of Texas Children's Hospital while it was under construction in 1952.
The hospital opened two years later in 1954.
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elaflin on March 14th, 2018 at 02:37 UTC »
Our son had to have surgery for his cleft lip when we was 3 weeks old, and we went to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. We were amazed that the lobby feels more like a children’s museum than a hospital! I truly believe in this initiative. He will have to go back for more surgeries in a few years and I know he will appreciate that it feels welcoming and positive as soon as you walk in the door.
ETA: as a parent to a kid who has to go to the hospital, I don’t give a f*ck if it’s a large company if it makes my boy feel safe and calm before a procedure.
mclilrose on March 14th, 2018 at 00:54 UTC »
Disney has had partnerships with Children's Hospitals for a long time, especially in Florida.
Source: used to work at a Children's Hospital that was partnered with Disney, 10 years ago.
IamIANianIam on March 13rd, 2018 at 22:07 UTC »
I know the knee-jerk is to be cynical about a large corporation, but this seems like a positive initiative. Hospitals are finally starting to focus on patient experience (quality of care as opposed to just quantity), which is huge, especially for childrens’ hospitals, and like it or not Disney has a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge to share on creating positive experiences for kids. Disney and its characters are already a pretty prevalent part of childhood in America, so crassly declaring this a “marketing campaign” seems pretty myopic- I don’t think too many kids are doing to be exposed to Mickey Mouse for the first time at this hospital, but it could very well be a sight that makes a terrifying and stressful experience a little easier.
We’re literally talking about an endeavor to make hospitals less scary for sick kids. No matter who’s doing it, if that’s the outcome, I’d say that’s a pretty positive thing, no?