[Keep Mama Smiling] “Smiling Family” is an awareness campaign to support sick children and their families.
Days ~ #Let’s all support the pediatric ward” held!
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Press release: May 14, 2024
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An awareness campaign “Smiling Family Days ~ Let’s all support pediatric wards” will be held to support sick children and their families!
*Holding for 5 weeks from “Mother’s Day” to “Father’s Day”! * * “Smiling Family Days ~ Let’s all support the pediatric ward” *
Since its establishment in 2014, the NPO Keep Mama Smiling (Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Chairman: Yuki Mitsuhara, hereinafter referred to as KMS) has been working to support families raising sick children. In particular, we are focusing on activities to support families accompanying hospitalized children, including the Meal de Smiling Project, which provides meal support to families staying in pediatric wards and family houses, and provides support to families staying in pediatric wards for 10 days or more. To date, we have supported more than 15,000 families through our food and supplies support program, “Free distribution of companion living support packs.”
* -Campaign background-*
In June 2023, KMS delivered a “letter of request” to the government (Children and Family Affairs Agency, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare) based on the earnest voices of those who accompany them, which were revealed through a large-scale fact-finding survey. In response to this, various ministries and agencies have begun considering ways to resolve the issue, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has decided to resolve the three major problems for attendants, including eating, sleeping, and monitoring, through the FY2020 medical fee revision. We are working on measures to prevent this.
▼Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare website “Revision of medical fees in 2020/III-4-2 Enhancement of pediatric medical care and perinatal medical care 10.
Establishment of new evaluation system for childcare workers and nursing assistants in pediatric inpatient medical management fees.” https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/12404000/001210969.pdf
The Children and Families Agency established an expert panel consisting of patient support groups, pediatric medical professionals, and others, and conducted a survey of the current situation of accompanying children at medical institutions. This investigation report and case collection created based on the fact-finding survey will be published in April 2024. This collection of case studies was created to serve as a reference when medical institutions consider the environment for accompanying and visiting patients, and work to improve support. We hope that this collection of case studies will be widely used by pediatric medical professionals, so that more medical institutions will proactively take into consideration the accompanying environment, including meals and sleeping environments, as stipulated in the medical fee revision. I hope.
▼Nomura Research Institute HP
“Hospital Survey Report on the Accompaniment of Hospitalized Children by Family Members, etc.”
“A collection of case studies to improve the efforts of medical institutions regarding accompanying children during hospitalization, etc.”
https://www.nri.com/jp/knowledge/report/lst/2024/mcs/social_security/0410_8 On the other hand, it is extremely unclear to what extent medical institutions will be able to improve the companionship environment. At the 127th Academic Meeting of the Japanese Academy of Pediatrics held last month, a symposium was held on the theme of companions, and this issue was touched upon in the keynote speech by the president and in the speech by the Director of the Maternal and Child Health Division of the Children and Families Agency. During Q&A sessions at these symposiums and lectures, pediatricians in the field repeatedly pointed out the lack of financial resources and manpower.
We know that caring for children takes many times more effort than caring for adults. Despite this, the number of nurses assigned to pediatric wards and the remuneration for their care are the same as in adult wards. As a result, it has become common for family members to accompany the patient and help care for and watch over them, resulting in a lack of care and the ability to safely provide medical care. Furthermore, as the number of patients is decreasing due to the declining birthrate, medical fees paid for pediatric medical care have been kept low, and pediatrics has been positioned as an unprofitable department in hospital management.
Amid such severe financial and labor shortages, the financial resources required for medical institutions that calculate pediatric inpatient medical care management fees due to medical fee revisions to be “accommodating and caring for the accompanying environment” must be covered by pediatric inpatient medical management fees. There are concerns that this will place a heavy burden on pediatric departments, which are experiencing financial difficulties, and that some medical institutions may withdraw from pediatric medical care.
* -Campaign purpose-*
The urgent voices of those affected have moved the country,
countermeasures have been taken, and the baton has been passed to medical institutions, but if things continue as they are, the environment for accompanying children will not improve, and sick children and their families will not be able to be hospitalized with peace of mind. In response to this sense of crisis, we decided to launch a campaign to support pediatric wards in order to reduce the burden on medical institutions.
Starting in 2021, KMS will hold an awareness campaign “Smiling Family
We are developing “Days”. This year’s campaign theme is “Let’s all support pediatric wards,” and we will do our best to support medical institutions that are working to improve the environment, even though they are facing difficulties.
Sudden hospitalization of a child can happen to any child. Improving the companionship environment is not an issue that can be addressed by medical institutions alone. It is essential to create a system in which society can support sick children and their families, as well as pediatrics, which are indispensable as local medical resources.
https://readyfor.jp/projects/smilefamily2024
The highlight of this campaign is the “Let’s support pediatric wards that are working to improve the environment for attendants!” project. Using crowdfunding donations, we will provide supplies worth 300,000 yen per hospital to medical institutions that are working to improve the eating, sleeping, and monitoring environment. We are considering soliciting donations not only from the general public but also from companies. Through this project, we would like to create a movement in society to support medical institutions (pediatric wards) that are working to improve the companionship environment, and also take on the challenge of creating a flow of funding (donations) from the private sector to pediatrics. Masu.
We sincerely ask the media to understand and support the significance and purpose of this campaign, and to cover it in their own media. * Smiling Family Days2024 * * Overview of “#Let’s all support the pediatric ward” *
■Period
Sunday, May 12, 2024 – Sunday, June 16, 2024 / 5 weeks from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day
■Purpose
The aim is to have the general public recognize and understand that the problems of families accompanying hospitalized children are a social issue, and to expand the circle of support. This year, we aim to create a movement in society to support “medical institutions” that are working to improve the treatment environment and parental companionship environment in pediatric wards, and to contribute to expanding awareness and promoting understanding of the current status and issues of pediatric medical care.
■Campaign planning
*Project 1) “Let’s support pediatric wards that are working to improve the environment for attendants!” Project*
* -Step 1- *
We are recruiting medical institutions that are working to improve the “eating, sleeping, and monitoring” of attendants in pediatric wards and mixed wards, and have created a special form for applications for support from medical institutions.
(https://momsmile.jp/13599/).
Medical institutions wishing to receive support can apply by selecting one of “food support,” “sleep support,” and “monitoring support.”
– Food support: Donation of 300,000 yen worth of retort food (for 600 to 1000 people)
– Sleep support: Donation of 300,000 yen worth of bed mattresses (around 10) and sleeping goods
– Monitoring support: Donation of 300,000 yen worth of activities by the pediatric ward support group (pediatric ward Wakuwaku cheering group)
The deadline for recruiting medical institutions is June 30th. On May 2nd, we have already mailed recruitment information flyers to the heads of the 488 medical institutions nationwide that have calculated Pediatric Inpatient Medical Management Fees 1 to 5 and are registered with Core Hospital Pediatrics and Regional Pediatric Centers. * -Step 2- *
Crowdfunding will be conducted targeting the general public and companies during the campaign period.
https://readyfor.jp/projects/smilefamily2024
The target amount is 3 million yen. In order to provide support worth 300,000 yen to each hospital, the first stage aims to collect enough money for 10 hospitals. If the number of applying hospitals exceeds 10, priority will be given to medical institutions that are expected to have difficulty securing manpower and financial resources, but we will continue to raise funds even after the campaign ends, and we will support all the hospitals that wish to apply. Deliver support to hospitals.
* -Step 3- *
Starting in July, we will contact all medical institutions that have applied, adjust the details of support, and then make donations in sequence.
* Project 2) Charity event & online event “Let’s bring excitement to the pediatric ward!” *
In addition to educating the general public about hospitalized children, their families, and the current state of pediatric medical care, we will also promote understanding and recognition of activities that will help support the growth and development of hospitalized children and support the accompanying family members. The aim is to raise funds to expand the activities and deliver activities to pediatric wards.
* ■Pediatric Ward Exciting Cheer Team Charity Event*
Date and time: May 12th (Sun) 11:00-16:00
Venue: Kitasenju Marui 2nd floor main entrance (Adachi Ward, Tokyo) Sponsored by: NPO Keep Mama Smiling
Both
Event: Pediatric Ward Exciting Cheer Group (NPO Shinkon Project, NPO Shibutane, Certified NPO National Network for Supporting Children with Intractable Diseases, Certified NPO Japan Clinic Clown Association, General Incorporated Association Hoshi Tsumugi no Mura)
Cooperation: Kitasenju Marui, General Incorporated Association Child Play Lab Talk show special guest: Hideo Hashimoto (former Japanese national soccer player)
Miki Asakura (singer/breast cancer survivor)
* ■“All members of the Pediatric Ward Exciting Support Team gather! Let’s expand the circle of excitement (tentative)” online event* Date and time: June 16th (Sun) 13:00-15:00
Holding method: zoom
Sponsored by: NPO Keep Mama Smiling
Both
Event: Pediatric Ward Exciting Cheer Group (NPO Shinkon Project, NPO Shibutane, Certified NPO National Network for Supporting Children with Intractable Diseases, Certified NPO Japan Clinic Clown Association, General Incorporated Association Hoshi Tsumugi no Mura)
* Project 3) Online report session “What has come so far and what will happen next? Efforts to improve the escort environment” *
Aiming at accompanying persons, patient support groups, the media, medical professionals, and the general public, we would like to inform you about the actions taken by the government (Children and Families Agency, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare) to improve the environment for accompanying persons over the past year, and the improvement measures proposed by the government. In addition to explaining the movements and opinions of pediatric medical societies related to this, we will also consider what each stakeholder can do. Date and time: June 1st (Sat) 13:30-15:00
Holding method: zoom
Sponsored by: NPO Keep Mama Smiling
Application: https://zfrmz.jp/g7WdIcWou8hIuxS28UJf
* ■Campaign special site: * * https://sfdays.jp/*
-NPO Keep Mama Smiling Organization Overview-
– Representative: Chairman Yuki Mitsuhara
– Location: 4F Ginrin Building, 4-13-19 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo – Established: November 2014
– Official website: https://momsmile.jp/
*About details about this release*
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000015.000067289.html