Rita Taylor, BSN, RN, shares a book from the juvenile collection with a Family Resource Center visitor.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if parents everywhere had the same level of support and access to resources and information about their children’s health as parents whose children are admitted for inpatient care?
t
hanks to donor funding, they do. The Family Resource Center (FRC) — where parents of Children’s Hospital patients can go to find answers to their questions from health information nurse specialists and a consumer health librarian — offers itself up as a local, regional and, yes, national and international pediatric knowledge base. “We are here to vet and verify both print and online resources to ensure families who come to us for answers obtain the most accurate medical information on their child’s condition,” says Alissa Haycraft, MSN, RN, CPNP, clinical lead for the FRC. “So much information is available through the Internet that it’s difficult to determine which health resources are reliable. So often, parents will come to us with information they found online that is misleading or even potentially detrimental to their child. We work to help them find evidence-based information on their child’s diagnosis or put them in contact with a subject matter expert to help them navigate what’s next more confidently.”
73,708 324
CPR participants
Recently, the family of a transgender 5-year-old from the community visited the FRC requesting information on next steps in the child’s transition. The parents, who were supportive of their child, were thrilled with the tools the FRC suggested to help prepare for future medical visits. The FRC staff recommended books to read and information to help other family members understand their child’s journey. “We can send parents sites best suited to answering their questions and mail or e-mail them printed materials and bibliographies,” Haycraft says. In addition to referring their patients to the FRC for information, community physicians often request information on specific topics to give their patients and families. For more information or to support the Family Resource Center, visit StLouisChildrens.org or call 314.454.2350.
total interactions by the Family Resource Center in 2017
241
literacy consults
1,840
collection items checked out
4,880
business center services used
A publication of St. Louis Children’s Hospital
7