Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Young patients, their families and invited guests were treated to a visit with some amazing animal ambassadors - including a blue-tongued skink, a lesser tenrec and a bearded dragon at Beaumont Children’s. This special event, which occurred Sept. 19, celebrated the arrival of San Diego Zoo Kids, a closed-circuit television channel, now available at Beaumont Children’s.
San Diego Zoo Kids ois an innovative television channel with programs produced primarily for medical facilities that serve pediatric patients and their families. In 2013, Businessman and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford funded the creation and development of the channel; and last year, the Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded San Diego Zoo Global an outstanding Museums for America grant to bring San Diego Zoo Kids to 75 children’s hospitals and Ronald McDonald House Charities facilities across the nation over the next three years. San Diego Zoo Kids’ programming offers family friendly, entertaining and educational animal-oriented stories.
“We are thrilled to have this channel available for our patients and families,” said Rosanna Morris, president, Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. “I love animals and know how much joy they can bring to both children and adults.”
The channel also features animal stories from Potter Park Zoo. “Potter Park Zoo is excited to partner with San Diego Zoo Global and Beaumont Children's to share heartwarming and educational stories about our animals with children who might not be able to visit our zoo,” said Amy Morris-Hall, executive director of the Potter Park Zoological Society. "Our mission to inspire conservation of animals and the natural world reaches beyond our zoo gates. We hope to inspire happiness and wellness in the families at Beaumont Children's."
The San Diego Zoo Kids channel offers up-close video encounters with animals, stories about caring for animals, quizzes about animals and habitats, and a wide variety of short video vignettes hosted by San Diego Zoo Global ambassador Rick Schwartz and San Diego Zoo Kids host Olivia Degn. Viewers can see best-of videos from the San Diego Zoo’s famous Panda Cam and other online cameras, as well as content from other zoos around the world.
“We continue to be humbled by the healing properties of San Diego Zoo Kids,” said Debra Erickson, director of communications, San Diego Zoo Global. “Parents and caregivers share that the channel, which has no commercials, not only calms children, but also makes them happy.”
San Diego Zoo Kids debuted in 2013 at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. Since then, it has been installed in 167 children’s hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses in 35 states across the U.S. and the District of Columbia, and in facilities in Mexico, Canada, Australia, Pakistan, Qatar and Curaçao.