Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA

Mattel Children's Hospital is a great place for children. If you are a parent or a grandparent, no hospital is a great place to go to, but if it is necessary, Mattel, at the UCLA Medical Center, is the place to go.

Since I have been a substitute hospital teacher at the various Los Angeles hospitals, I have been frequently called to go to Mattel Children's Hospital.

The first thing that makes this an excellent place is that UCLA Hospital is considered the third best in the country. There are many research programs at this hospital. Because of their modern techniques, many children are there for various transplants, such as liver, kidney, lungs and heart. Although it is sad to see the parents who come to visit their children, I feel that they are getting the best of care. I help these children with their school work when they are well enough to do some work. Usually, this is before they are waiting for an operation or when they are recuperating. Many of these children are at the hospital for months due to chemotherapy treatments and other necessary long stay treatments.

Besides having an educational program, there are many activities planned for them to distract the kids from any anxiety that they may have.

Mattel Children's Hospital has play centers for different age groups. One child said he likes the play room because it helps pass the time between his treatments. Sometimes he gets bored so this helps a lot.

These playrooms are stocked with board games and toys. The Starlight Room is one of the children's favorite rooms. It was built for older children and teenagers.

One of the directors of this program said that the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, a nonprofit organization that builds centers in hospitals, founded the Starlight Room. The foundation also provided Mattel with fun centers with television on a stand with game consoles attached.

Many of these kids love to use the computers. One kid told me he loves to chat online with other patients across the country. He said that he has made many friends who are in other hospitals. These online chat groups are well monitored.