Texas Children’s Child Life Department

What is Child Life?
Children in health care settings are faced with many different challenges, ranging from an unfamiliar environment to invasive and sometimes painful procedures. They often feel as if they have very little control and few choices in what goes on around them.

Texas Children’s Child Life department works as part of a comprehensive health care team to help alleviate stress and anxiety while promoting positive coping skills for patients and families.

What are child life specialists?
Child life specialists are professionals who have studied normal child development and the
reactions of children to health care settings. They provide emotional and psychosocial interventions with hospitalized children based on individual needs. Child life specialists serve all areas of Texas Children’s Hospital including the inpatient floors, outpatient clinics, neonatal units, renal dialysis and the emergency center.

Who are the members of Texas Children’s Child Life department?
Texas Children’s has one of the largest child life departments in the country, with more than 30 child life specialists, child life partners and a library coordinator. 

What other types of services does Texas Children’s Child Life department provide?

• Radio Lollipop

• Pi Beta Phi Patient/Family Library

• Patient and family support groups

• Community outreach

• Patient camps

• School re-entry services

• Bereavement support

Texas Lions Camp 
For children with diabetes 
Length: one week sessions
(July 20 - 27, July 28 - Aug. 5th)
Contact: Patsy Reyes
Diabetes & Endocrine Center
Driscoll Children's Hospital
3533 South Almeda
Corpus Christi, TX 78411 or by calling 361-694-5434

Camp Lifeboat 14
For bereaved families
Length: one weekend
Contact: Donna Lamb, Texas Medical Center Hospice at 713-467-7423

Camp Phever
For children (primarily from Texas Children's)
Length: one week in July
Contact: Kerri Lamance at 832-824-4287

Camp Okawehna
For renal patients across the country in Lyles, Tennessee
Length: one week in June each year
Contact: Meredith Vela or Theresa Cayton at
832-824-1970

Camp HUG
For families affected by HIV
Length: one weekend (typically in May)
Contact: AIDS Foundation of Houston

Camp HOPE
For children infected by HIV
Length: one week (typically in July)
Contact: AIDS Foundation of Houston

Camp Pump it Up
For patients 8 to 12 years with congenital heart disease.
Length: weekend
Contact: Holly Black at 832-826-5625 or Lauren Wilk
at 832-826-5670

Contact information
For general information about Child Life:
Telephone: 832-826-1650
Fax: 832-825-1044