KidsAbility has partnered with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health in an effort to make getting vaccinated against COVID-19 a bit more comfortable for children and teens.
A series of "sensory-friendly" clinics will be held at KidsAbility's Guelph Hub at 503 Imperial Rd. N. in the coming weeks.
"We are a children's treatment centre and so all of our spaces are very child friendly," said Linda Kenny, KidsAbility CEO.
In addition to the specialized physical environment, KidsAbility staff who are training in dealing with children who might be anxious, nervous or afraid will be on-site, said Kenny.
There will also be less noise, lower lights, private rooms and children won't have to move between different stations.
"Unlike perhaps the mass vaccination clinics where, you know, it's loud and there's lots of people and it's very overwhelming," Kenny explained
The specialized clinics are scheduled for Dec. 10, Dec. 11, Dec. 17 and Dec. 18, with the possibility of more dates being added depending on demand.
All appointments are being booked through Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. Families can call the health unit at 1-800-265-7293 and ask for the sensory friendly clinic, Kenny said.
Meanwhile Ross Kirkconnell, executive director fo the Guelph Family Health Team said the organization has discussed bringing in therapy dogs to make kids feel more comfortable at its clinic at Stone Road Mall.
KidsAbility has also partnered with local public health units to host sensory-friendly clinics in Cambridge and Waterloo.
"We wanted to support families to make that decision to have their children vaccinated," said Kenny. "So from our perspective, we just thought this was a role we could play to assist public health."
