Look Who it Was Random video

Child Life Specialists Work at Kid’s Play

3,267 views · Published 22 June 2015 · 1:40 · Indexed 22 October 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2015 · Science & Technology

Watch on YouTube

Making the hospital kid-friendly is a full-time job for Mia Dibagno.

“I like to ask kids what they would be doing if they were at home instead of in the hospital and I try to bring that activity to them,” says Dibango. 

Mia is one of the child life specialists at Golisano Children’s Hospital. There was a time when kids were treated like mini-adults. Now much effort goes into making their healthcare experience healthier and happier.

“Kids talk through play, they don’t really talk out their feelings. They don’t say ‘I’m really nervous about this’. You kind of have to get that out of them through play,” says Dibango. 
The secret weapons are videos, iPads, toys and prizes. Things that make children feel normal in a setting that is anything but. Connecting on their level gives child life specialists a chance to explain procedures and treatments, dialing down anxiety and fear.

“If they’re not prepped and they just try it that could be something that would scare them,” says Andrea Kubarek. 
A registered nurse, Kubarek works with kids who need CT scans, X-rays, and MRIs: a noisy and lengthy test that intimidates people many times their age.
“The thing about actually using the child life specialist to prepare them for the sounds is then they find it kind of silly when they hear the sounds before they go into the machine,” says Kubarek. 
“It’s really important to a kid, they want to know what they’re going to experience from step one all the way until walking out the door,” says Dibango. 
If they leave smiling, it is a job well-done. 


View More Health Matters video segments at leememorial.org/healthmatters/

Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

Visit leememorial.org

More from this channel