News Releases

Orlando, Fla. (November 19, 2020) –  Nemours Children’s Hospital announces the launch of Disney Children’s Hospitals Program to further engage and ease moments of anxiety and stress for young patients and enhance the Nemours’ Child Life Program.

Now adorning the walls in key areas, such as surgical waiting rooms and family lounges, patient families will find magic wall art and digital displays featuring familiar characters that invite the imagination into the vibrant worlds of Disney storytelling. Murals further the magic in the form of augmented reality content that comes to life when patients use the Disney Team of Heroes app. Each immersive experience is designed to deliver comfort and joy to children.

“Nemours is committed to providing the best possible care for children and families. Our responsibility for children encompasses more than the diagnosis and treatment of disease,” said R. Lawrence Moss, MD, President and CEO of Nemours Children’s Health System. “It means caring for the whole child and actively ensuring children can be children while they heal. We are grateful to have the creativity and wonder that Disney provides to help us brighten the hospital experience for children and families dealing with serious health issues.”   

In 2018, Disney announced a $100 million commitment to reimagine the patient experience in children’s hospitals around the world.

“Making the unfamiliar familiar to a child facing a serious illness is one of the ways that Child Life Specialists offer support for the patient and help prepare them for their medical experiences,” said Emily Bradley, Lead Child Life Specialist at Nemours Children’s Hospital. “Disney innovations in the hospital setting will help us work toward positive outcomes for our patients.”

Disney worked with Child Life Specialists at Nemours to find innovative ways to ease moments of anxiety and stress and incorporate the familiarity of timeless Disney characters.

Now, hospital spaces greet patients and their families with:

• Pixar-themed Play Space, encouraging hands-on fun and learning

• Murals that draw the imagination into the vibrant worlds of Disney’s storytelling and interact with the free Disney Team of Heroes app, which bring favorite characters to life with games, interactive tales, animated character encounters, augmented reality and more

• Waiting rooms with Magic Windows for a mesmerizing view into the worlds of beloved stories

• Patient floors with interactive Magic Arts which spark to life with favorite characters who deliver fun, animated, inspirational messages

• Mobile Movie Theaters deliver movie experiences for patients

• Themed Staff Badges to encourage interaction with patients and each other

• Complimentary DisneyNOW app access featuring fun games and the best of Disney TV content from Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD

In addition, Disney is providing via the Starlight Children’s Foundation:

• Disney-themed Starlight Gowns that bring to life characters from Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars will be available in select areas of the hospital

• Care Packages filled with fun activities and keepsakes such as room decals, journals and playing cards to allow children to personalize their hospital rooms

• Toy delivery with a year’s worth of toys, books and games that provide a bit of joy to the hospital – bringing children and families together.

Hospital leaders and staff will also receive customized training by the Disney Institute to enhance the experience for patients and families with exceptional care, compassion, comfort and connection.

“It’s a very exciting milestone that the final Central Florida children’s hospital has opened its transformed spaces as part of the Disney Children’s Hospitals Program,” said Tajiana Ancora-Brown, Director, Walt Disney World Resort External Affairs. “Being a child in the hospital can be overwhelming, so we’re thrilled to continue bringing even more joy and magic to children and families right here in our backyard.”

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Editor’s note: Video interviews, B-roll and photos are available for download.

About Nemours Children’s Health System

Nemours is an internationally recognized children’s health system that owns and operates the two free-standing children’s hospitals: the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., and Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, Fla., along with outpatient facilities in five states, delivering pediatric primary, specialty and urgent care. Nemours also powers the world’s most-visited website for information on the health of children and teens, KidsHealth.org, and offers on-demand, online video patient visits through Nemours CareConnect. Nemours ReadingBrightstart.org is a program dedicated to preventing reading failure in young children, grounded in Nemours’ understanding that child health and learning are inextricably linked, and that reading level is a strong predictor of adult health.

Established as The Nemours Foundation through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, Nemours provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy and prevention programs to families in the communities it serves.

About Disney’s Children’s Hospitals Program

The Walt Disney Company is committed to delivering moments of magic to kids when they need it most. This includes Disney’s $100M plan to reimagine the experience in children’s hospitals and efforts to grant every eligible Disney wish.