Compassion.Care.Cuddles.
Providing arms to hold every child in need at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles
Our mission: To ensure every baby in need at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles feels the comfort and healing power of human touch through the arms of a caring volunteer.
Purpose: On any given day at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, there are as many as 130 babies in need of medical care. These inpatients need constant attention and interaction, but because parents and caregivers can’t always be bedside–and because nurses can only devote so much time to each patient–some babies have no one to hold them.
The Koala Corps, an organization founded in 2016, was created to help fund a full-time coordinator to run CHLA’s Cuddler program, which trains and provides volunteer cuddlers, to ensure no baby is left alone.
Testimonials
“One morning as a NICU cuddler was rounding, she offered to cuddle this patient. The primary RN said, “Sure let’s see if cuddling will calm her!” As a result, the infant was cuddled for three consecutive hours and did not require the dose of Ativan. The infant continued to not require Ativan for the next few mornings when various NICU cuddlers held her.” - Volunteer Cuddler
“It was traumatizing to see other infants who were suffering like my daughter but they were alone in their crib.” - Ciera Granger