Walt Disney Co. launches $100M global initiative beginning at Texas Children’s
In March 2018, The Walt Disney Company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert A. Iger announced an innovative plan that will dedicate more than $100 million to bring comfort to children and their families in hospitals across the globe, beginning right here at Texas Children’s.
This patient-focused initiative will roll out over five years, expanding Disney’s rich legacy of supporting children’s hospitals, which dates back to founder Walt Disney.
“Disney’s timeless stories have touched hearts and lifted spirits for generations, and we believe they can bring comfort to children and families going through a very difficult time,” Iger said. “Using the powerful combination of our beloved characters and legendary creativity, we’re planning to transform the patient experience in children’s hospitals around the world – creating a personalized and engaging atmosphere that will inspire young patients and ease the stress of a hospital stay.”
Leveraging its renowned “Imagineers” – the global experts in theme park and family entertainment design – the company plans to introduce a rich array of customer service elements into children’s hospitals. Concepts for these elements include: A new Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)-based system allowing patients to customize their hospital visit by choosing their favorite stories and characters to help alleviate stress during their stay.
Plans include themed treatment rooms and public spaces, interactive murals, bed linens and gowns featuring each child's favorite characters, and personalized in-room entertainment. Disney first-run movies and television shows, will be available via themed a pop-up movie theater in the hospital.
Also included in our partnership will be an element of employee engagement as Disney customer-experience training will be provided to doctors, nurses and staff. The renowned Disney Institute, a part of The Walt Disney Company that provides professional development training focused on leadership, employee engagement and high-quality service, will create a customized program for health care professionals designed to foster a less stressful, patient and family-centric hospital experience.
“We are honored to be the inaugural hospital to collaborate with Disney on this exciting patient-focused initiative,” Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark Wallace said. “Patient care is at the center of our mission, and in addition to providing the highest-quality medical care to children, we strive to make the hospital experience as enjoyable and stress-free as possible for every patient and their family. We are looking forward to working with Disney to enhance our efforts in this area.”