Madison, Wis. -- Picture this: it’s ten o’clock on a Wednesday night.  A mom is rushing home after working her second shift.  She’s just picked up her 8-year-old child from the babysitter and is looking forward to some down time at home.  Without warning, a pickup truck runs a red light and slams into the driver’s side door sending both she and her daughter to the hospital.  The little girl is ok but scared.  A nurse reaches out to comfort her and extends what would be this little girl’s source of comfort for many hours – a book.

It’s a scary story, but one that plays out in many different ways at ERs across the country.  That’s why St. Mary’s is proud to be the first hospital in the country to partner with R.E.A.C.H. a Child.  The program provides a free age-appropriate book to EVERY child who comes through the hospital’s ER doors.  Sometimes this is a patient, but other times it’s a patient’s son or daughter, a brother or sister, or even a grandchild.  And no matter who receives it, the simple gesture has proven time and again to be a life-saver – putting a young mind at ease, or temporarily giving them somewhere safe to escape. 

“A few years ago this program was only available to law enforcement agencies,” says Jeanie Seffrood, an ER nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital.  “I know because my house burned three years ago and my six year old son received a book from a firefighter.  It meant a lot to him then to receive the book, and he still talks about it today!”

“It’s a simple gesture, but its simplicity is what makes it so powerful,” says Lisa Stone of R.E.A.C.H a Child. “We’re reaching hundreds of kids a year through St. Mary’s alone and we hope to one day be able to expand this program nationwide.” 

St. Mary’s and R.E.A.C.H. a Child first partnered up in September of 2010.  Since then, more than 200 books have been handed out to children of all ages.  In addition to being age-appropriate there are also books in several languages and appealing to all ethnic backgrounds.