The Josh Cares Mission

Josh Cares provides companionship and comfort to children hospitalized in critical care units at Cincinnati Children’s.  Josh Cares Fellows serve as surrogates for, and as links to, the families who would be by their children's sides if they could.

Why Josh Cares

“Jamie” is a 9-year-old girl and frequent patient at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Not long ago Jamie received a small bowel transplant which, tragically, her body rejected. She is currently undergoing treatment hoping to become healthy enough to be re-listed for another transplant. The devastating reality is that she will probably die before that happens, though she is still fighting very hard, hoping for a miraculous recovery. Her distraught family lives far from Children’s and they are not able to be with her constantly to provide her with the strength and comfort she needs. They are hurting just as badly as Jamie; feeling her loneliness, her fears and being unable to comfort her.

Jamie occupies one of approximately 100 beds in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She is fortunate to benefit from the incredible technology, facilities and highly skilled caregivers at one of the world's finest children’s hospitals; a hospital that champions family-centered care and employs a Child Life staff to work with families in supporting their children.

But Jamie is also in one of those beds occupied by children who have little or no visitation from their families. These children are going through an intensely traumatic experience alone, and they desperately need to be reassured that someone cares about them. They need support for hours at a time; to play games, to talk, to be comforted by someone they know and trust.

Josh Cares was founded to provide support for those children. The Josh Cares Program has provided trained Child Care Specialists to be with Jamie for hours at a time. By having the time to develop a relationship with her, they are able to hear her most intimate thoughts, aspirations and feelings. The impact on Jamie has been profound and comforting.

When we explained the role of Josh Cares to Jamie’s mother, she expressed an incredible amount of relief and appreciation knowing that someone would be able to be with her daughter when she could not.

Josh Cares is helping Jamie and others by providing fellowships to Child Life Specialists - health care professionals trained in child development - who are seeking experience working with seriously ill children. The Josh Cares Program ensures that someone is there to care.

Jamie is a patient in Cincinnati, but there are others just like her in Children’s hospitals across the country. Following our success with Josh Cares in Cincinnati, we have begun enlisting and helping others follow our lead. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is the first of what we hope will be many more Josh Cares’.