Hannah Hammoud
Epping’s Northern Hospital has welcomed the launch of the Planet Starlight program, an innovative and interactive virtual platform designed to deliver engaging, positive distraction for sick kids.
The program established by the Starlight Children’s Foundation is free to register and easily accessible from an internet-enabled device. Planet Starlight features daily, interactive livestreams uniquely shaped by the participation of the kids watching and hosted by Starlight’s superhero of fun, Captain Starlight.
The platform has been rolled out to patients in 19 metro and regional hospitals across Australia since its launch in November, including Northern Hospital in Epping, with another 20 nationwide planned by the end of the year.
Northern Health Kids Ward ANUM, Aleks Dimitrieski said she and her team are excited to partner with Starlight and bring Planet Starlight to Melbourne’s northern community.
“Innovative digital projects such as Planet Starlight are really important for keeping the children distracted from their, sometimes scary, time in hospital,” she said.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing the positive impact this has on our patients.”
Planet Starlight was first trialed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when some of the most significant restrictions in children’s healthcare required Starlight to come up with innovative ways to deliver essential programs to isolated, hospitalised kids. A virtual Starlight program was designed and delivered in a number of hospitals, where evidence confirmed the power of this live, interactive digital platform where kids led the play.
Starlight Chief executive Louise Baxter said that the goal is to deliver Planet Starlight to sick kids at every hospital in Australia.
“Planet Starlight takes Starlight into the virtual world for hospitalised kids in need of happiness and positive distraction. Whenever they need it and wherever they are,” she said.
