From 2017 to 2020 The Spencer Foundation teamed up with the Michael Magro Foundation to put Sony PS4 gaming consoles in patient rooms in the South Pediatric Unit of Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. The consoles were loaded with games that give kids from the age of five through the late teens a welcome break from their treatments. We also provided a second controller for each console so patients could play multiplayer games with volunteers and guests. We worked very closely with Stony Brook’s Information Technology Team and Child Life staffers to connect the consoles to the Internet and install games onto them.
Michael Attard, Child Life Specialist at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, shared “I enjoy seeing the relief on our patients faces when they realize we have their favorite gaming console here at the hospital. It has become clear that video games have rapidly become part of today’s culture. They provide an engaging, enjoyable distraction and are a great escape for many.”
