LOGAN – Leticia Clegg is one of the 70 certified child life specialists currently helping care for children at 11 Intermountain hospitals and care sites.
She recently joined Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital as its first certified child life specialist which is a health care provider who helps children cope with their medical experience, supporting the child while helping them to understand their illness or injury.
Clegg said it can be scary when a child needs surgery because they tend to think the worst and they don’t know what to expect.
Child life specialists help children to decrease stress and increase coping through play, education and normalizing the medical environment.
While social workers tackle the complex issues and needs of families with a sick child, the child life specialist assesses and deals directly with the needs and concerns of the children.
At Intermountain Health care child life services are supported by community donations and are free to patients. Logan Regional’s goal is to expand the hospital’s child life services which will require community support.