PMMC Partners with Seacrest Studios
Pacific Marine Mammal Center Partners with Seacrest Studios at Children’s Hospitals Across the Country
Free interactive, web-based, education programs enhance lives of adolescent patients undergoing treatment at children’s hospitals.
Laguna Beach, CA Thursday, December 12, 2019 – Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC) hosts monthly distance learning education programs with Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) through the ‘Healing Seals’ initiative. It is one of three hospitals throughout the United States which PMMC has worked with through a partnership with the Ryan Seacrest Foundation and its Seacrest Studios, the Foundation’s in-hospital multimedia centers. PMMC previously facilitated programs at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County and the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. PMMC and BCH’s most recent collaboration on December 10th was shown to up to 400 children, as it was broadcast throughout the hospital including patient rooms and waiting rooms.Healing Seals is a live, interactive, web-based program that provides engaging and educational opportunities for children currently undergoing treatment at pediatric hospitals. The content revolves around PMMC’s marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation program. Each presentation strives to enhance the children’s lives and support their healing process while they are in the hospital. Specifically, seeing recovered animals return to a normal life at sea may provide a sense of hope that children can draw upon and use as inspiration in their own recovery. In addition, throughout their virtual visit, children explore concepts in marine science, marine and fresh water conservation, as well as careers in the field of science.
“It has been a real pleasure partnering with the Pacific Marine Mammal Center over the last few years,” said Lauren Wilson with Seacrest Studios at Boston Children’s Hospital. “Patients are able to relate to the animals they are learning about as the seals at the PMMC are going through some of the same things that they are going through here at BCH. There have been several occasions where we have had patients visit the Seacrest Studio, for the PMMC program, who have had NG tubes in place…these patients truly light up when they learn that some of the seals need NG tubes for nutrition, too! The connections and ways that they relate to these animals is really special…We have seen patients and families take away some really inspirational messages from the program and we look forward to continuing this partnership through 2020.”
Healing Seals is a free, donor funded program which grew out of PMMC’s distance learning initiative for school classrooms. We continue to look for new hospitals with which to partner! For more information on these programs you may reach out to Kirsten Donald or if you would like to sponsor a class room you may find more information here.
Pacific Marine Mammal Center, December 12, 2019, Media Release
