Local Teen Makes Children's Stay at SBUMC More Fun

Activity Packets save the day for those spending some time at SBUMC

STONY BROOK, N.Y., August 29, 2009 -- When Shannon Epsky, a 17 year-old senior at Patchogue-Medford H.S., was a patient at Stony Brook University Medical Center, she experienced first hand the boredom that comes with a hospital stay. That's when she came up with the idea for her Girl Scout Gold Award project to make pediatric patient activity packets. When she left the hospital, she presented the idea up to her Girl Scout Troop #1232 and they loved the idea as well. Shannon and her best friend Kaitlyn Crowley, who attends St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, spent the next six months making patient activity packets in Spanish and English to distribute to all the children admitted to the Pediatric Unit at SBUMC.
   
Pictured from left: Presenting the newly compiled pediatric patient activity packets to Paulette Walter, Child Life Specialist at Stony Brook University Medical Center (3rd from left) are Kaitlyn Crowley, Kaitlyn's  aunt Cathy Hammill , RN, and Shannon Epsky

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