When children become ill it is often hard for them to understand that painful procedures are a necessary part of making them better or alleviating their suffering. Providing massage in hospitals is a way for children to have a positive touch experience during their hospital stay. Currently, Heart Touch™ volunteers are massaging infants and children who are terminally ill and in hospice care.

With the help of a generous grant from First 5 LA, The Heart Touch™ Children's Program has begun working at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), one of the most respected non-profit children's hospitals in the nation. This pioneering program launched in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Premature, medically complex infants have so many tubes and machines attached to them that they seem to scream, "Don't touch me!" Yet, as one of the most essential senses to develop in an infant, touch helps infants bond with their caregivers as well as enabling them to learn about and interact with their environments. Further, studies show that massaged babies do much better at growth and recovery than non-massaged babies.  Our volunteers not only massage these babies but, more importantly, teach their parents to continue the work at home.

Our service to CHLA has expanded to the Rehabilitation Department and to serve children who are affected by Retinoblastoma.  We have also initiated a partnership with TrinityCare Hospice to provide end-of-life care to their infants and children.  Special efforts have been made to bring service to children with cerebral palsy and spina bifida.

Heart Touch™ continues to work closely with hospital staff at every level to ensure that the program grows effectively through careful monitoring and evaluation. Heart Touch™ is proud to have developed a model program that is being introduced into other major children’s hospitals in Southern California and beyond.