Children’s Specialized Hospital opens free marketplace for patients and families

Cheryl Makin, MyCentralJersey.com
·2 min read

NEW BRUNSWICK - When a child is in the hospital, it may be difficult for families to get essential items during the stay. To help pediatric patients and families, Children’s Specialized Hospital (CSH) opened the CSH Marketplace within the city's inpatient hospital facility in March.

Pediatric patients and their families who visit the marketplace can receive personal care items, clothing and toys as needed at no cost.

“We pride ourselves on offering patient- and family-centered care at Children’s Specialized Hospital," said Kelly Keefe Marcoux, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer. "Everything we do revolves around the families and the children we serve, and this is just another example of that."

Children’s Specialized Hospital opened the CSH Marketplace within its New Brunswick inpatient hospital facility in March. Pediatric patients and their families who visit the Marketplace can receive personal care items, clothing and toys as needed at no cost.
Children’s Specialized Hospital opened the CSH Marketplace within its New Brunswick inpatient hospital facility in March. Pediatric patients and their families who visit the Marketplace can receive personal care items, clothing and toys as needed at no cost.

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The marketplace was created by CSH Child Life Specialist Charli Nobles and CSH Behavior Technician Dana Bickers. The two recognized that many families were going without essential items during their child’s inpatient stay because they didn’t want to leave their child’s side to go home or run out to the store to purchase what they needed.

Inside the small, brightly colored CSH Marketplace, pediatric patients and their families can obtain what they need without leaving the hospital.

"To alleviate at least some stress and add a level of comfort, we want to ensure that these caregivers have what they need while their child is in the hospital," Keefe Marcoux said. "This initiative will allow them to care for and provide for their needs and their child’s. So, whether they need toiletries, a birthday gift for a sibling who’s visiting, or a new pair of shoes for their kiddo who has outgrown theirs and needs a new pair for therapy sessions, we’ll have them covered."

Children’s Specialized Hospital opened the CSH Marketplace within its New Brunswick inpatient hospital facility in March. Pediatric patients and their families who visit the Marketplace can receive personal care items, clothing and toys as needed at no cost.
Children’s Specialized Hospital opened the CSH Marketplace within its New Brunswick inpatient hospital facility in March. Pediatric patients and their families who visit the Marketplace can receive personal care items, clothing and toys as needed at no cost.

The marketplace runs solely on donations. Must-have items for patients and families, such as clothing in all sizes, personal care items and electronics, can be purchased via an Amazon Wish List for drop-off or shipping. Gift cards to Walmart, Target, Kohl’s, TJ Maxx, Amazon and Burlington are also being accepted. For more information, contact Charli Nobles at cnobles@childrens-specialized.org or Dana Bickers at dbickers@childrens-specialized.org.

Children’s Specialized Hospital, a part of the Children’s Health network at RWJBarnabas Health, provides inpatient and outpatient care for children from birth to 21 years of age facing special health challenges – from chronic illnesses and complex physical disabilities like brain and spinal cord injuries, to a full scope of developmental, behavioral, and mental health outcomes. For more information, go to rwjbh.org/childrensspecialized.

email: cmakin@gannettnj.com

Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Children’s Specialized Hospital opens free marketplace